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NORTH    AMERICA 


THE  YEARS  1334,  1835,  &  1836. 


INCLUDING 

A  SUMMER  RESIDENCE  WITH  THE  PAWNEE  TRIBE  OF 
INDIANS,  IN  THE  REMOTE  PRAIRIES  OF  THE  MISSOURI, 
AND  A  VISIT  TO  CUBA  AND  THE  AZORE  ISLANDS. 


BY 

THE  HON.  CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  MURRAY. 


"  Le  voyager  me  semble  un  exercise  profitable  :  I'ame  y  a  une  continuelle 
exercitation,  a  remarquer  les  choses  incognites  et  nouvelles  ;  et  je  r\e  sqache 
pas  meilleure  escole  a  faqonner  la  \ie  que  de  luy  proposei  inccssamment  la 
diversite  de  tant  d'autres  fantasies  et  usances,  et  luy  faire  gouter  une  si 
perpetuelle  variete  de  forme  ds  nostre  nature." — Essais  de  y^ontaigne,  liv.  3, 
chap.  ix. 


IN     TWO    VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


NEW  YORit  : 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  82  CLIFF-STREET. 

1S39. 


/     J 


M  7\,    1 


DEDICATION 

TO 

THE     ClUEEN. 


Madam, 

It  is  with  mingled  feelings  of  anxiety  and  gratitude 
that  I  avail  nfiyself  of  Your  Majesty's  gracious  pern:iissiori 
to  inscribe  to  you  the  following  Narrative.  It  pretends 
to  no  other  merit  than  that  of  truth ;  and  its  most  ambi- 
tious object  will  be  obtained,  if  it  be  found  to  afford 
any  useful  or  interesting  information,  and  thus  to  beguile 
a  leisure  hour  stolen  from  Your  Majesty's  more  grave 
and  weighty  occupations. 

It  has  been  customary  to  clothe  a  dedication  in  the 
language  of  panegyric  :  I  will  not  presume  to  follow  the 
tempting  precedent.  Your  Majesty's  qualities  will  be 
attested  by  an  Empire,  and  be  recorded  by  History. 
Nevertheless,  I  trust  I  may  venture,  unblamed,  to  ex- 
press, on  this  occasion,  my  earnest  desire,  and  my  heart- 
felt prayer,  that  your  reign  may  be  long  and  happy,  and 
that  Britain  may  hereafter  look  back  with  regret  and 
with  pride  on  a  Sovereign,  who  blended  the  wisdom  and 
energy  of  Queen  Elizabeth  with  the  more  winning  and 
attractive  attributes  of  her  sex. 

I  am  Madam, 
With  the  deepest  attachment  and  respect, 
Your  Majesty's  dutiful  Subject  and  Servant, 

Charles  Augustus  Murray. 

Euchingham  Palace, 
June,  1839. 


308494 


PKEFACE. 


It  is  very  seldom  that  the  journal  of  a  traveller  appears 
before  the  public  unaccompanied  by  a  prefatory  declara- 
tion that  it  was  not  his  original  intention  to  publish,  and 
that  he  has  been  reluctantly  induced  by  the  importunities 
of  his  friends  to  inform  the  world  of  the  extent  and  par- 
ticulars of  his  travel.  A  statement  of  this  kind  usually 
meets  with  as  much  credit  as  the  laboured  impromptu 
of  a  wit,  or  the  professions  of  diffidence  made  by  a 
practised  speaker  :  as  it  is  a  matter  in  which  the  public 
are  so  little  interested,  I  am  surprised  that  authors  should 
take  so  much  pains  in  attempting  to  explain  it.  Most 
travellers  keep  a  record  of  the  scenes  through  which 
they  pass,  without  having,  at  the  time,  any  definite  in- 
tentions as  to  publication,  leaving  their  after-decision  to 
be  determined  by  circumstances  ;  this  is  generally  the 
case  with  persons  who  travel  without  any  scientific 
object,  and  is,  probably,  applicable  to  the  following 
narrative. 

Some  readers  may  be  disposed  to  inquire  why  I  have 
allowed  two  or  three  years  to  elapse  between  the  writing 
and  the  publishing  of  this  journal.  I  can  offer  no  other 
satisfaction  to  their  curiosity  than  by  informing  them, 
that  the  delay  has  been  occasioned  by  circumstances  of 
a  private  and  domestic  nature.  The  careless  arrange- 
ment of   materials,  in  these  pages,  will  furnish,  I  am 

afraid,  more  than  abundant  evidence  of  the  fact,  that  the 

A* 

308494 


VI  PREFACF. 

manuscript  has  been  untouched  during  the  interval,  and 
that  the  original  copy  has  been  placed  in  the  hands  of 
my  publisher,  with  such  few  verbal  corrections  and 
additions  as  my  present  occupations  have  permitted  me 
to  make. 

As  the  state  of  the  Canadas  has  excited,  of  late,  so 
much  attention,  I  feel  it  my  duty  (in  order  to  prevent 
the  disappointment  of  those  who  might  expect  some  in- 
formation regarding  them  in  these  volumes)  to  state  that 
my  tour  did  not  extend  through  those  extensive  and 
interesting  provinces. 


CONTENTS 

OF 

THE    FIRST   VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Embark  at  Liverpool. — Cabin  and  Steerage  Passengers. — Whimsical 
Distress  of  a  Military  Captain. — A  heavy  Sea. — Portuguese  Man-of- 
V7ar.—  A  False  Alarm. — May  Morning  at  Sea. — A  Leak  sprung :  our 
perilous  Situation. — Reflections  under  Danger. — Agony  of  mind  in 
one  of  the  Passengers. — Men  at  the  Pumps. — Increase  of  Danger. — 
The  Cargo  hove  overboard. — Merciful  Dispensation  of  the  Creator. — 
Make  for  the  Azores. — Dreadful  Night  and  gloomy  Morning. — Pre- 
paration for  the  worst. — The  Author's  providential  Escape. — Offices 
of  Devotion. — Resignation  of  the  female  Passengers.  A  Sail  in 
Sight. — Departure  of  some  of  the  Passengers  in  the  Lady  Raffles, 
bound  for  London. — Threatened  Mutiny. — Resolute  Conduct  of  a 
young  Passenger. — Arrival  offFayal.       ....     Page  13 

CHAPTER  n. 

Approach  to  Fayal. — Peak  of  Pico. — Reception  by  the  British  Consul. 
— The  Town  :  its  declining  State. — Politeness  of  the  People. — Sin- 
gular Custom. — Inauguration  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Fayal. 
— The  Fayal  Authorities. — Agriculture. — Donkeys. — Volcanic  For* 
mation  of  the  Island. — Market  Days. — Cruelty  to  an  x\nimal. — De- 
lightful Climate. — Rock  Pigeons.— A  quaint  old  Hunter. — Perildfe 
Ascent. — A  good  Shot. — The  American  Consul  and  his  Daughters. — 
Beautiful  Orange  Garden. — Exquisite  Scenery. — Evening  Parties. — 
Absurd  Custom. — Successful  Attempt  to  reform  it.  .         ..        ..    26 

CHAPTER  III. 

A  Marine  Excursion. — Novel  Mode  of  Landing. — Dinner  with  Captain 
L. — A  Portuguese  Ecclesiastic. — Latin  Conversation  with  him. — 
Pico  Wine. — Excursion  resumed. — Disagreeable  Quarters. — A 
Storm. — Providential  Escape  — Velas. — Volcanic  Craters. — A  buried 
Church. — Unlucky  Search  for  Game. — Female  Costume. — Fuel. — 
Return  to  Fayal. — The  Waverly  again  ready  for  Sea. — Serious  Af- 
fray— Its  Consequences.— A  Street  Squabble. — Cowardly  Threats. 
— Leave  Fayal .         .     36 


Till  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  dead  Calm. — Scant  Allowance  of  Provision  during  the  Voyage. — A 
Whale  shot. — Anchor  off  Sandy  Hook. — The  Quarantine  Station. — 
View  in  the  Narrows. — Variety  of  Shipping. — Quarantine  Hospitals. 
— New  York. — Iced  Punch. — LaKd  at  New  York. — An  American 
Tabic  d'  hole.-  Oppressive  Heat. — Episcopalian  Church. — Costume 
of  American  Ladies. — Visit  to  Rockaway. — American  Omnibus. — 
Desolate  Marsh. — Reception  by  Sir  C.  Vaughan. — Rockaway. — Mint 
Julep. — The  celebrated  Compounder  of  this  Nectar.         .     Page  50 

CHAPTER  V. 

Expedition  up  the  Hudson  River. — Scene  of  the  Death  of  Hamilton. — 
Cooper,  the  American  Novelist. — Scenery  of  West  Point. — Nursery 
for  the  American  Army. — The  Cadets. — Albany. — The  Patroon. — 
Railroad  to  Saratoga. — Watering  Places.—  Mineral  Water. — Ballston. 
— The  Trenton  Falls. — An  Extra  Exclusive. — The  Prison  at  Auburn. 
—Miserable  Appearance  of  the  Prisoners. — Geneva. — Canandaigua. 
— Eminent  Scottish  Agriculturist. — Genesee. — Mr.  W. — Fertile 
Meadows. — Fails  of  Niagara 58 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Embark  on  Lake  Ontario. — Toronto. — Reception  by  the  Governor. — 
Lake  of  The  Thousand  Islands. — The  Cholera  at  Montreal  and  Que- 
bec.— Journey  towards  Lake  Champlain. — Gloomy  Road. — Burling- 
ton.— Students  in  the  College  of  that  Town. — An  Obliging  Land- 
lord.— Road  to  Montpelier. — The  Camel's  Hump. — American  Libe- 
rality.—Accommodations  at  the  Taverns. — John  Bull  a  bad  Traveller. 
— Hanover. — Concord. — A  Criminal  Trial  in  this  Town. — Amoskeag. 
— Exchange  of  Steeds. — Lowell :  its  Lucrative  Trade. — Approach 
to  Boston.— Arrival  in  that  Town.— The  Tremont  House.— Mr. 
Webster. — Tone  of  Conversation  in  Boston 70 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Return  to  New  York.— Heavy  Fog.— Exploring  Party.— Society  in 
New  York.— Departure  for  Philadelphia.- Exhibition  of  Wild  Beasts 
in  Bordentown. — Arrival  in  Philadelphia.— A  lineal  Descendant  of 
William  Wallace.— Arrival  at  Washington.— Briti.sh  Legation.— 
Tour  to  the  West  of  Virginia. — Wretched  Roads. — A  Disaster. — A 
Negro  Samaritan. — Friendly  Landlord. — Arrival  at  Leesburgh. — 
Search  for  Game.— Capture  of  a  large  Gobbler. — Fruit  called  Per- 
simmon.— Remarkable  Duel. — Romney.— Excursion  in  pursuit  of 
Deer — American  Agriculturist  and  Hunter.— Invidious  Comparison. 
—Hospitable  Laird.— Republican  Doctrine  of  Equality.:  ludicrous 
Anomalies  arising  from  this. — Survey  of  various  Tracts  of  Land. — 
Progress  of  Agriculture.— Excursion  to  the  Glades  of  Alleghany: 
Scenery  :  the  Inhabitants.— Private  Entertainment.— Mr.  Chisholm. 
—Recollections  of  Scotland.— Scotch  Settlers.— Field  Sports  in  the 
Alleghanies.     . 81 


CONTENTS.  IX 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Return  to  Washington.— The  Capital.— The  Senate.— The  Ladies* 
Gallery. — Debate  on  the  relations  with  France. — Mr.  Clay. — Mr. 
Webster. — Public  Demonstration  on  the  Death  of  a  Citizen. — x'N.t- 
tempt  upon  the  Life  of  the  President :  his  miraculous  Escape. — Mr. 
Calhoun. — Mcunt  Vernon. — Observations  on  Washington's  Tomb, 
— Singular  Occurrence  illustrative  of  the  State  of  Society  in  Lou- 
isiana.— Melancholy  Appearance  of  the  City  of  Washington  :  its 
Site. — Method  of  assessing  its  Inhabitants. — Absence  of  local  attach- 
ment in  American  Agriculturists  contrasted  with  the  Scottish  Love 
of  Country Page  98 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Quit  Washington  for  a  Tour  in  Virginia.— Voyage  down  the  Potomac 
in  the  Champion  Steamer. — Land  Journey  to  Fredericksburgh. — 
Wretched  Road. — Arrival  at  Fredericksburgh. — The  Town. — House 
of  Judge  Coalter  :  hospitable  reception  by  that  Gentleman. — Writers 
in  the  Public  Press. — Journey  from  Fredericksburgh  to  Richmond. — 
Perpetual  Danger  of  being  upset. — Arrival  at  Richmond. — The 
Town:  its  Society. — Judge  Marshall :  his  House. — Ladies  of  Rich- 
mond.— Embark  on  the  James  River. — Intermarriages  of  the  Resi- 
dents on  its  Shores. — Plantations  cultivated  by  Slaves. — Treatment 
of  the  Slaves. — Necessity  for  corporal  Punishment. — Expense  of 
keepmg  Slaves. — The  Negro  Character. — Domestic  and  farm-labour- 
ing Slaves. — Overseers. — Marriage  of  Slaves  :  their  Religion. — 
Agriculture  on  the  Banks  of  James  River. — Law  of  Primogeniture. 
— Embark  in  the  Patrick  Henry  Steamer. — Region  visited  by  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh. — Cruelty  of  early  Settlers.— Jamestown,— Indif- 
ference of  the  American  People  to  sepulchral  Relics. — Ruins  of  the 
former  Governor's  Palace. — College  endowed  by  William  and  Mary. 
—New  Fortification  at  Old  Point.— Arrival  at  Norfolk.— Bay  of  the 
Chesapeake. — Return  to  Washington 113 

CHAPTER  X. 

Morning  Ride. — Delightful  Season. — Shrubs  and  Flowers. — The  Mock- 
ing-bird.— Visit  to  a  Flower  Garden. — Preparations  for  a  Tour  in 
the  West. — Parting  from  Friends. — Leave  Washington  for  Balti- 
more.— Fearful  Ravages  of  the  Cholera. — Incident  in  the  Museum  at 
Baltimore. — Arrival  at  Philadelphia. — Start  for  Pittsburgh.— Lovely 
Prospect. — Lancaster  Vale. — German  Settlers. — The  Susquehannah. 
— The  Juniata. — Track  Boats. — A  Newspaper  Reporter. — Inquisi- 
tive Western  Traveller. — Walk  to  Holydaysburgh.— Nocturnal  An- 
noyance.— Passage  across  the  Alleghanies. — Arrival  at  Johnstown. — 
The  River  Conimah— Railroad.— The  Alleghany  River.— Pitts- 
burgh.—The  Market.— Mr.  Rapp's  Settlement.        .  .130 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  Xr. 


Embark  on  the  Ohio.— Banks  of  the  River. — Wheeling. — Remark- 
able Indian  Mound. — Risings  of  the  River. — Arrival  at  Cincin- 
nati.— The  Town. — The  Museum. — Manufacture. — Mrs.  Trollope's 
Bazaar — her  erroneous  Statements. — Prosperity  of  Cincinnati. — 
Hospitality  of  its  Inhabitants. — American  Servants. — The  Cholera. 
— Contrast  between  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky. — Character 
of  the  Kentuckians. — Brutal  Method  of  Fighting.  .     Page  144 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Leave  Cincinnati  for  Louisville. — Reminiscences. — Louisville. — Re- 
publican Incongruity. — Swearing  in  the  Western  States. — Start  for 
Lexington. — Beautiful  Scenery. — Curious  Sermon. — Arrival  at  Lex- 
ington.— Meeting  with  Miss  Martineau. — General  Shelby's  Farm. 
— Situation  of  Lexington. — Its  public  Institutions. — System  of 
Education  in  America. — Lunatic  Asylum. — Evening  Parties. — Mu- 
sical Soiree. — A  Serenade. — Mr.  Clay. — Return  to  Louisville. — 
Embark  for  Saint  Louis. — Passage  down  the  Ohio. — Robbers'  Cave. 
—The  "Father  of  Waters." 155 

CHAPTER  XHI. 

Situation  of  St.  Louis.— The  Catholic  new  Church.— General  Clarke.— 
Emba.k  for  Fort  Leavenworth. — Requisites  for  a  Tour  on  the  Prai- 
rie.— The  Missouri — Rapidity  of  its  Stream. — Islands. — Fatal  Case 
of  Cholera. — Changeful  Climate. — Floating  Obstructions. — Settle- 
ments on  the  Missouri. — Scarcity  of  Game. — Gigantic  Trees. — Fer- 
tility of  the  Soil. — Precarious  Navigation.— Magnificent  Thunder- 
storm.— State  of  Health  on  board  the  Steam-boat. — Tedious  Progress. 
Mouth  of  Osage  River. — Indian  Painting. — Town  of  Booneville, — 
Price  of  Provisions. — Narrow  Escape. — Village  of  Liberty. — Outfit 
for  the  Prairie. — A  small  Prairie.— Swampy  Wood.— Reception  at 
Fort  Leavenworth — Prospect  from  the  Heights  in  its  Neighbourhood. 
—-Indian  Tribes — Commemoration  of  the  4th  of  July. — Pawnee 
Visiters. — Indian  Chorus. — Picturesque  Scene. — Arrangements  to 
accompany  the  Pawnees  to  their  Nation 167 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Pawnee  chiefs  with  whom  I  started. — Leave  Fort  Leavenworth. — Roll- 
ing Prairie.^— Halting  Place. — Loss  of  Horses. — Flock  of  Perroquets. 
— Our  stray  Horses. — Indian  Appetite. — Accidents  by  the  Way. — 
Overtake  the  Pawnee  Deputation. — Esculent  Roots. — Deer-stalking 
in  the  Prairie. — A  Misfortune. — Cross  the  Great  Nimahaw  River. — 
Parly  in  Search  of  Elk.— Rejoin  the  Camp. — Tired  Horse. — False 
Alarm  of  Chill  and  Fever. — The  Kanzas  River.— My  Dog  killed  and 
eaten. — Fatiguing  Travelling. — Friendly  Reception. — Etlect  of  whis- 
key on  the  Indians. — Indian  Village. — Occupations  of  the  Men,  Wo- 
men, and  Childi'en.— The  old  Chief —Buifalo  Meat.— Order  of 
March.— Pawnee  Summer  Lodge. — Medicine. — First  Night  in  the 
pawnee  Lodge. — Dogs. 183 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Lavatory  in  the  Prairie.— Picturesque  Scene.— A  "  Brave."-Quarrel 

"^  plrvT:      f '^'  lT''-7:.^''''''  !>«§« -Owls  and  Rattlesnakes 
-First  View  of  Buffalo.-Chase  of  Buffalo.-Indian  Butchery -_ 
Horses  stolen  by  the  Ricaras.— Indian  Method  of  Horse-stealincr - 
Discussion  as  to  the  expediency  of  making  Reprisals.-Present'of  a 
Butlalo  Robe.— Indian  Character.— A  Feast.— Indian  Curiosity.  203 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Indian  Women.-Children.-Nursery  Discipllne.-Girls.-Courtship 
— Marriage^-A  Missionary.-Occupation  and  Labours  of  married 
Women^-Degradation  of  the  half-civilized  Tribes.-Education  and 
Life  of  Indian  Men.-An  Indian  Dandy.-His  elaborate  Toilet  _ 
His  Effeminacy.— Game  of  the  Javelin.— Indian  Courage.        .     215 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Ceremonies  attendant  on  the  Buffalo  Chase.-Adventures  with  Buffalo 
-]N  umber  of  Beasts  slain— Night  Attack  of  the  Shiennes.-The  Con'. 
flict  -War  Songs.-A  Council.-Religion.-Great  Spirits  and  other 
Heities.-Rehgious  Ceremonies.-Notions  of  Futurity.-Months  and 
Years.-Office  of  Soldiers.-A  "  Cerne,"  or  "  Surround."-Buffalo 
Hunt— Preparation  of  Buffalo  Skins.-Strange  Fuel—March  re- 
sumed—Otoe  Chief— Deadly  Feud  between  two  Brothers  —Great 
Medicine  Feast -Impromptu  Oration.-Indian  Eloquence.-Grace 
before  Meat— Rapid  Feeding.-Method  of  Invitation  to  a  Feasr  - 
l^ontrasted  Temperature— Change  in  the  Aspect  of  the  Country.  227 

CHAPTER  XVHI. 

A  Stampedo.-Number  of  Horses  in  the  Encampment.-Moccasins  - 
Prickly  Pears  :  Feet  wounded  by  them  -Indian  Surgery— Improvi- 
dent Inactivity— Desire  to  return  to  the  Civilized  World-'indian 

Ni^htflll '"/"^''"^v^^'^^'^T-^^"^^  °^  Practice— Stroll  after 
f^f  M  r^1.^"°'^  Escape.-Scarcity  of  Water— Haitans— Buf- 
falo Hun  .-Dmner  on  raw  Buffalo  Meat— Long  Shot  at  an  Ante- 
lope.-Advantage  of  the  Bow  over  the  Rifle  in  Buffalo  Hunting  -1 
Value  of  the  Buffalo  to  the  Western  Tribes.-An  Accident.-Extra- 
-He7of  fi'uffaTo    ''^  Nesting.-My  Library-Thoughts  of  Home. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Camp  moved.-Medicine  Council— Preparation  for  Hunting.-Martial 
Appearance  of  the  Chief:  his  Costume.-The  Author'!  Hunt  n'-" 
v'~?;r^'f ^'°?  ""''^  *^^  Chief-Equipment  of  the  Warrior's 
-Forced  March.-Attack  the  Herds.-Dangerous  Conflict.-Sorry 
Steed.-Lnhorsed  Indian.-A  young  Bull  sbot.-A  Hunter's  Meal. 
-Suspicious  Intruders.-Perplexing  Situation.-A  Friend  in  Need. 
— Return  to  the  Camp 262 


Xii  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Medicine  Ceremonies.— Instance  of  ungovernable  Temper  and  Cruelty 
in  a  young  Indian. — Indian  Horse-dealers. — Bargaining  Anecdotes. 
—Hiring  a  Guide— Knavery  of  the  Great  Chief— Hunting  Party  of 
Delawares  and  Sbawnees. — Conversation  with  them. — DisUke  of  the 
Pawnees  to  their  new  Guests. — Pride  of  the  Delawares. — Unequal 
Conflict. — Skilful  Retreat. — Delaware  and  Shawnee  Languages. — 
Departure  of  the  Visiters Page  277 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Interview  with  the  Great  Chief — Telescope  regained. — Stock  of  Pro- 
visions for  the  Journey. — Indian  Knavery. — Disinterested  Genero- 
sity.— E.xchange  of  Horses. — Message  from  the  Great  Chief — A 
"  Talk." — Invitation  to  the  Great  Chief — Presents  made  to  him. — 
Want  of  Cleanliness  among  the  Pawnees. — Splendid  Daybreak. — 
Valedictory  Speeches. — A  vicious  Horse. — Journey  homeward  com- 
menced.—Herd  of  Buffalo. — Successful  Shot. — Evening  Camp. — 
Musquitoes. — Serious  Accident. — Defection  of  our  Guide. — Return 
to  the  Pawnees. — Repulsive  Scene. — Indian  Mourning. — Reception 
at  the  Lodge  of  Sa-ni-tsa-rish 288 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Commission  intrusted  to  the  Canadian  Interpreter. — Arrangement  with 
two  Indian  Guides. — Pae-tae-lae-cha'r6 — Indications  of  his  Malignity. 
— Leave  the  Pawnees. — Harangue  of  the  Guide. — Dinner. — March 
resumed. — Fearful  Storm. — Indian  Superstition. — Morning  after  the 
Storm. — Ramble  in  Search  of  Game. — Antelope. — A  narrow  Escape. 
— An  Indian  Hunter. — Conversation  with  him. — Lose  my  Party. — 
Visit  to  an  Indian  Camp. — My  Reception  there.      .         .         .     303 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Unpleasant  Predicament. —  Set  forth  in  search  of  my  Party. — Night 
Wanderings. — Rejoin  my  Friends. — Journey  resumed. — Evening 
Camp. — Prairie  Wolves. — Scotch  Servant. — The. American  Lad. — 
Conversation  with  the  Guide. — Enormous  Rattlesnake. — Indian 
Manoeuvre. — Danger  from  Snakes.— An  Antelope  Shot. — A  Bath. — 
Our  Feast. — Meeting  with  Pawnee  Hunters. — Their  Conference 
with  our  Guides. — Consultation  with  my  Companions. — Desertion 
of  the  Guides. — Difficulties  of  our  Situation. — Commencement  of 
my  Office  as  Guide 315 


TRAVELS 

IN 

THE     UNITED     STATES,    etc. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Embark  at  Liverpool. — Cabin  and  Steerage  Passengers. — Whimsical  Dis- 
tress of  a  Military  Captain.— A  heavy  Sea.— Portuguese  Man-of-war.— 
A  False  Alarm.— May  Morning  at  Sea.— A  Leak  sprung  :  our  perilous 
Situation. — Reflections  under  Danger.— Agony  of  mind  in  one  of  the 
Passengers  — Men  at  the  Pumps.— Increase  of  Danger.— The  Cargo 
have  overboard. — Merciful  Dispensation  of  the  Creator. — Make  for  the 
Azores.— Dreadful  Night  and  gloomy  Morning.— Preparation  for  the 
worst. — The  Author's  providential  Escape.— Offices  of  Devotion. — 
Resignation  of  the  female  Passengers.— A  Sail  in  Sight.— Departure 
of  some  of  the  Passengers  in  the  Lady  Raffles,  bound  for  London. — 
Threatened  Mutiny.— Resolute  Conduct  of  a  young  Passenger. — 
Arrival  off  Fayal. 

On  the  18th  of  April  1834, 1  embarked  at  Liverpool, 
on  board  the  American  ship  Waverly,  bound  for  New- 
York.  Although  not  one  of  those  regular  packets 
which  have  attained  so  just  a  celebrity  for  their  beauty^ 
comfort,  and  saihng  quahties,  she  was  a  fine  new  vessel 
of  530  tons  ;  and  as  I  was  accompanied  by  an  admiral 
in  the  British  Navy  when  I  secured  my  berth,  I  con- 
sidered myself  thereby  justified  in  my  selection. 

We  sailed  at  5  a.  m.  with  a  steady  light  breeze  from 
the  E.  S.  E.  The  cabin  passengers  consisted  of  three 
ladies  with  nurses,  maids,  &c.,  three  or  four  young 
gentlemen,  who  were  going  to  settle  in  Canada,  an 
architect,  a  captain  in  the  army,  a  German  wine-mer- 
chant and  his  son,  and  a  dissenting  minister.  About  a 
hundred  and  fifty  emigrants  of  the  poorest  class,  mostly- 
Irish,  were  in  the  steerage,  and  I  never  saw  a  more 
ragged  squalid  assemblage  than  that  which  now  thron- 
ged the  deck  of  the  Waverly.     Poor  fellows  !  few  of 


14  PORTUGUESE    MAN   OF  WAR. 

them  seemed  to  have  friends  or  kindred  on  the  shore 
that  we  were  leaving,  and  they  sat  huddled  together 
round  the  long  boat  and  the  hen-coops,  while  some  of 
the  sailors  and  passengers  were  waving  hands  and 
handkerchiefs  amid  cheers  for  our  safe  voyage,  and  the 
thousand  farewell  devices  invented  by  the  ingenuity  of 
affection. 

The  breeze  freshened  from  the  eastward,  and  bore  us 
merrily  down  the  Channel  :  the  ship  bounded  forward 
under  a  press  of  canvass  ;  while  the  light  spray  dashed 
from  her  bows,  and  the  line  of  foam  in  her  wake,  joined 
to  a  motion  too  perceptible  to  be  unfelt  by  landsmen, 
soon  told  us  that  we  were  on  the  open  sea.  On  the 
morning  of  the  19th,  I  heard  a  voice  in  the  next  cabin 
to  mine,  singing  with  a  faint  attempt  at  cheerfulness  ; 
opening  my  door  to  catch  the  air  and  words,  I  discov- 
ered that  the  vocalist  was  the  military  captain,  who  was 
endeavoring  to  cheat  himself  into  good  spirits  by  sing- 
ing "  I'm  rather  sick,"  "  I  feel  very  queer,"  to  the  tunes 
of  "  Home,  sweet  home,"  "  I'd  be  a  Butterfly,"  and  other 
prevalent  airs. 

For  a  week,  the  wind  continued  favorable,  and  we 
made  an  average  way  of  eight  or  nine  knots  an  hoar ; 
on  the  26th  it  freshened  so  much  that  our  top-gallant- 
sails  were  taken  in  and  the  topsails  reefed.  A  heavy 
sea  -'got  up,"  and  most  of  the  passengers  (myself  inclu- 
ded) were  afliicted  with  that  oppressive  nausea  which 
the  worthy  captain  described  in  the  above  pathetic 
strains :  the  ship  rolled  heavily,  and  six  water-casks, 
which  had  been  faultily  secured  in  the  steerage,  broke 
loose,  were  instantly  staved  in,  and  drenched  the  unfor- 
tunate steerage  passengers,  causing  no  little  alarm  and 
confusion  among  them. 

On  this  day  I  saw  for  the  first  time  that  beautiful  little 
wanderer  of  the  ocean  called  by  the  sailors  "  the  Portu- 
guese man-of-war :"  he  spread?  '  's  light  sail  in  all 
weathers,  and  delights  to  float  lu^.iy  in  a  calm ;  but  it  is 
when  an  angry  restless  sea  is  lit  up  by  a  fitful  sunshine, 
that  he  is  seen  ta  most  advantage.  He  dances  so  buoy- 
antly on  the  crest  of  the  waves ;  and  the  transparent 
filmy  wings  with  which  he  sails  along,  give  back  so 


FALSE    ALARM.  15 

many  varied  colours  to  the  sun,  that  few  of  the  tiny  in- 
habitants of  air  or  earth  are  so  pretty  to  look  upon.* 

On  the  27th  and  two  following  days  it  blew  very 
hard,  and  the  wind  having  shifted  to  the  N.  W.  we  were 
obliged  to  lie-to  for  many  hours.  An  accident  occurred 
which  was  productive  of  temporary  alarm.  I  was 
walking  on  the  quarter-deckt  with  the  captain  about 
mid-day,  when  a  cry  arose  that  the  "  ship  was  on  fire  !" 
The  ladies'  cabin  was  filled  with  smoke  accompanied 
with  a  stronor  smell  of  burning-  wood  ;  one  of  its  fair 
tenants  fainted  away,  another  screamed,  and  all  jumped 
from  their  berths  and  sofas  in  confusion  and  affright. — 
Captain  Phillips  was  preparing  for  a  descent  into  the 
lower  deck  to  examine,  and  make  the  requisite  exer- 
tions, when  he  suddenly  recollected  the  employment  of 
some  sailors  astern  ;  and,  hastening  thither,  we  found 
a  tar  busily  employed  in  burning  a  hole  in  the  ear  of  a 
bucket  with  a  red-hot  marlingspike,  the  smoke  and 
smell  of  which  operation  passed  directly  through  the 
stern-windows  into  the  ladies'  cabin,  and  occasioned  the 
alarm  above  mentioned.  It  was  of  short  duration,  but 
the  first  impression  caused  by  the  cry  of  fire,  when 
there  is  a  heavy  sea  running,  and  no  land  within  a 
thousand  miles,  is  not  by  any  means  agreeable,  and  I 
confess  that  I  breathed  more  freely  when  the  doubt 
was  resolved  by  the  old  sailor  and  his  hot  iron.  We 
might  feel  disposed  to  quarrel  with  that  rapidity  of 
thought  which  thus  induces  man  to  invest  smoke  with 
the  terrors  of  fire,  were  it  not  for  the  compensating 
power  of  mind  which  also  enables  him  to  catch  glim- 
merings of  hope  where  reason  and  experience  would 
despair. 

*  The  Portuguese  man-of-war  is  of  the  "  Medusa"  species,  and 
its  propername  in  natural  history  is  "  Physalia."  When  taken  out 
of  the  water  it  is  very  small,  and  covered  with  poisonous  prickles, 
producing  on  the  skiii  (if  carelessly  handled)  an  irritation  similar  to 
that  caused  by  a  nettle.      ^ 

t  I  deprecate  the  criticism  of  nautical  readers,  and  beg  to  inform 
ihem,  that  I  use  synonymously  "  quarter-deck"and  "poop,"  in  the 
belief  that  (although  these  may  be  technical  errors)  my  meaning 
v/ill  be  intelligible. 


16  MAY    MORNINJ^  AT  SEA. 

The  morning  of  the  1st  of  May  was  bright  and  cheer- 
ful, the  clouds  were  broken  into  light  fleecy  masses, 
which  now  obscured,  now  revealed  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
with  that  changeful  alternation  which  gives  to  the 
"soote  season"  its  well-deserved  character  for  life,  and 
youth,  and  mirth,  on  which  every  poet,  of  ancient  and 
of  modern  times,  has  exhausted  the  richest  treasures 
of  his  fancy :  but  for  us,  in  the  "Waverly,  there  were 
no  opening  blossoms,  "no  carolling  larks,  no  new-born 
flocks  in  rustic  dance,"  to  usher  in  the  "  flowery  May  ;" 
and  as  I  looked  over  the  ship's  side  on  the  deep  green 
waste  of  waters,  busy  thought  carried  me  back  to  the 
smiling  valleys  of  my  father-land,  and  even  Jack  in  the 
Green  and  Maid  Marian,  with  the  swarthy  imps  dan- 
cing round  them  in  the  streets  of  London,  were,  for  a 
time,  remembered  with  regret.  The  evening  closed 
in  without  any  indication  of  storm  or  danger. 

About  7  o'clock  p.  m.  1  was  whiling  away  my  time 

at  a  game  of  drafts  with,  a  passenger,  when  Mr. 

(who  being  the  only  person  in  our  party  who  had  made 
the  voyage  to  New  York,  was  a  kind  of  self-appointed 
cabin-oracle  as  to  weather,  longitude,  <fcc.)  appeared  in 
the  cabin  ;  I  felt  a  convulsive  movement  of  his  hand 
as  he  laid  it  on  my  arm,  and  on  looking  up,  I  observed 
that  his  face  was  white  and  haggard  with  agitation  ;  at 
length  it  found  utterance  in  the  following  words : — 
"  Sir,  the  ship  has  sprung  a  leak  !"  I  defy  any  writer 
to  describe  exactly,  or  any  reader  to  understand,  the 
first  sensations  occasioned  by  an  announcement  of  this 
nature,  unless  he  has  experienced  them  ;  for  each  suc- 
ceeding suggestion,  as  the  mind  glanced  over  it  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning,  only  seemed  to  magnify  the 
peril  of  our  situation,  and  almost  to  shut  out  hope  ;  we 
were  about  1200  miles  from  Liverpool  and  mucli  more 
distant  from  New  York,  a  high  sea  running,  and  only 
provided  with  boats  which,  in  a  calm,  might  contain 
one  fourth  of  the  number  on  board. 

Tlie  incessant  creaking  of  the  pumps,  and  the  voice 
of  the  mate  urging  the  men  to  continued  exertion, 

showed  that  Mr. 's  information  was  but  too  correct. 

In  answer  to  my  further  inquiry  he  told  me  that  there 


A  LEAK    SPRUNG. 


17 


was  much  water  in  the  hold,  and  that  as  far  as  he  could 
learn  it  had  neither  diminished  nor  gained  ground 
since  the  pumps  began  to  work.  Here  was  at  least  some 
ground  for  hope,  so  I  intreated  him  not  to  communicate 
the  fact  to  the  ladies  who  were  all  in  the  after  cabin, 
but  to  wait  until  morning,  when,  perhaps,  some  favor- 
able change  might  occur  :  he  acquiesced  in  this  view ; 
but  having  gone  into  the  ladies'  cabin  to  speak  to  his 
wife,  a  shrill  scream  from  within  soon  apprized  me  that 
either  his  face  or  his  tongue  had  told  all. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  went  on  deck  and  saw  Captain 
Phillips  alone  on  the  poop.  Being  well  aware  how  ill- 
timed  and  how  hateful  to  all  seamen,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, are  the  inquiries  of  passengers  respecting 
"  dano-er"  and  such  particulars,  I  merely  said,  "  Cap- 
tain, can  I  be  of  any  use  ?"  The  answer  being,  "  Thank 
you  sir,  not  to-night,"  I  went  again  below  and  retired 
to  my  own  cabin. 

There  are  seasons  when  the  mind,  shut  out  from  all 
intercourse  with  the  world  around,  communes  with  it- 
self and  with  the  Almighty  who  formed  it.  When  these 
meditations  are  aroused  and  quickened  by  the  prospect 
of  death,  of  a  death,  too,  where  the  spirits  and  the  frame 
are  not  excited  by  exertion,  they  embrace  the  past,  the 
present,  and  the  future,  with  a  comprehensiveness  and 
rapidity  almost  supernatural  ;  conscience  wakes  from 
the  drowsy  bed  where  it  has  been  too  long  a  sluggard, 
and  memory,  as  if  touched  by  Ithuriel's  spear,  starts 
into  gigantic  power  and  energy.  Together,  they  draw 
back  the  veil  from  scenes  long  past  and  long  forgotten, 
and  present  a  picture  for  the  soul  to  contemplate,  so 
wide  in  its  range,  so  minute  in  its  details,  so  terribly  faith- 
ful in  its  repre'sentations,  that  she  would  turn  from  it  in 
dread  and  despair,  were  not  the  horizon  lighted  up  by  the 
sunshine  of  mercy  unspeakably  bright  and  boundless  in 
extent. 

^  Of  the  thoughts  that  crowded  on  my  own  mind,  du- 
ring the  first  watches  of  this  night,  it  is  not  fitting  that 
I  should  say  anything.  I  will  only  record  with  grati- 
tude that  before  midnight  I  fell  fast  asleep,  and  when  I 
awoke  at  the  usual  hour  on  the  following  morning,  I 


18  MEN    AT    THE    PUMPS. 

might  have  thought  the  scene  of  the  preceding  evening 
a  dream,  had  not  the  continued  and  ceaseless  creaking 
of  the  pumps  assured  me  of  its  reality. 

On  reaching  the  deck,  I  learned  that  the  leak  was 
much  in  the  same  state,  and  that  the  incessant  pumping 
throughout  the  night  had  not  diminished  the  water  in 
the  hold.  Few  of  the  passengers  appeared  at  breakfast, 
and,  among  those  few,  but  little  conversation  passed. — 
I  could  not  help  feeling  for  the  irrepressible  agony  of 

mind  evinced  by  H ,  the  German  wine-merchant, 

who  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  bring  over  his  son,  a 
fine  boy  of  twelve  years  old.  From  my  speaking  to 
him  in  his  native  lano-naore  he  was  more  communica- 
tive  with  me  than  with  the  other  passengers,  and  taking 
my  arm  in  the  greatest  agitation  he  said,  ••'  Is  it  not  too 
hard  ?  I  care  not  for  myself,  but  my  poor  boy,  whom 
I  have  with  such  difficulty  separated  from  his  mother, 
must  I  see  him  drowned  before  my  eyes  ?"  I  endea- 
voured to  comfort  him  with  hopes  which  I  did  not  en- 
tertain very  strongly  myself. 

In  such  emergencies,  exertion  is  both  a  duty  and  a 
resource  :  and,  hastening  on  deck,  I  found  the  captain 
busy  in  dividing  all  the  able-bodied  men  on  board  into 
"gangs,"  who  were  to  work  the  pumps  successively, 
each  taking  an  hour's  labor  at  a  time  :  every  gang  con- 
tained eight  men,  four  of  whom  rested  and  worked  al- 
ternately for  an  hour,  when  another  was  called  to  re- 
place lliem ;  by  thus  dividing  the  fatigue  among  so 
many,  it  was  hoped  that  we  might  hold  out  until  we 
reached  land ;  and  as  the  wind  blew  strong  from  the 
west,  and  the  ship  was  found  to  make  more  water  when 
beatins:  against  the  sea  than  when  going  free,  the  cap- 
tain, directing  his  whole  efforts  to  preserve  life,  put  her 
about,  and  made  all  sail  for  the  nearest  port  of  Europe. 

Meantime  I  threw  off  my  coat,  jumped  down  among 
the  Paddies  on  deck,  joined  myself  to  a  "gang,"  and 
pumped  away  lustily,  endeavoring  to  keep  up  their  spi- 
rits, and  stimulate  their  exertions.  The  younger  pas- 
sengers in  the  cabin  did  so  likewise,  and  the  unanimity 
and  good  humour  with  which  the  labour  was  performed 
contributed  much  to  banish  the  recollection  of  our  dan- 


CARGO  HOVE  OVERBOARD.  19 

ger,  and  the  gloomy  thoughts  which  it  would  otherwise 
have  engendered. 

All  our  efforts,  however,  although  continued  without 
intermission  for  twenty-four  hours,  seemed  likely  to 
prove  unavailing,  for  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd,  the 
water  in  the  hold  was  found  to  have  gained  upon  us 
considerably,  and  of  course  the  chance  of  our  founder- 
ing was  proportionably  increased.  Captain  Phillips  no 
longer  hesitated  to  put  in  practice  an  expedient  which 
he  had  conscientiously  deferred  as  long  as  possible, 
namely,  to  ease  the  ship  by  heaving  over  half  her  cargo. 
The  leak  had  not  been  discovered,  but  he  believed  it 
to  be  owing  to  the  starting  of  one  of  her  timbers,  occa- 
sioned by  the  unequal  pressure  of  pig-iron,  a  great 
quantity  of  which  was  stowed  away  in  the  lower  hold. 
Under  this  belief  he  expected  much  advantage  from  re- 
lieving the  vessel  of  a  portion  of  this  iron,  which  is  well 
known  to  be  the  most  stiff,  unyielding,  and  dangerous 
cargo  that  a  ship,  so  circumstanced,  could  have  on 
board.*  Here  then  was  opened  a  new  field  for  exer- 
tion, and  new  food  for  hope  ;  the  main-hatch  was  taken 
off,  and  gangs  were  again  selected  to  hand  the  cargo 
from  the  hold,  and  heave  it  overboard  :  hi  this  also  I 
took  my  share,  and  can  aver  that  it  was  most  laborious 
work,  rendered  more  so  by  the  rolling  of  the  ship,  and 
the  slipperiness  of  the  deck  which  was  constantly  flood- 
ed with  water :  as  the  heaviest  goods  (iron  and  cased 
tin)  were  near  the  bottom  of  the  hold,  we  were  obliged, 
before  we  could  reach  them,  to  heave  over  seventy  or 
eighty  enormous  crates  of  earthenware,  and  they  being 
too  ponderous  to  be  raised  over  the  bulwarks  (without 
employing  mechanic  power  of  which  the  circumstances 
would  not  admit)  they  were  broken  up  on  deck,  and 
their  contents  thrown  pell-mell  into  the  sea. 

In  spite  of  the  danger  of  our  situation,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  avoid  laughing  outright  at  the  scene  passing 
upon  deck.  A  dozen  of  Ireland's  most  wild  and  rag- 
ged sons  were  collected  round  the  crate,  its  fastenings 
were   destroyed   in  a  moment,  and  the   unfortunate 

*At  Fayal  this  conjecture  proved  to  have  been  correct. 


20  MERCIFUL  DISPENSATION. 

crockery  exposed  to  treatment  most  rude  and  merciless  ; 
saucers,  cups,  plates,  basins,  were  sent  overboard  with- 
out comment,  but  the  quaint  observations  and  strange 
gestures  of  the  Paddies  as  they  handled  sauce-boats,  tu- 
reens, and  othor  utensils,  which  many  of  them  had  ne- 
ver seen  before,  were  amusing  in  the  highest  degree. — 
One  fellow,  wishing  to  show  more  strength  and  dexte- 
rity thaR  his  neighbours,  was  staggering  under  a  great 
load  of  plates,  when  the  ship  gave  a  lurch,  and  he  was 
washed  off  his  legs,  and  rolled  with  the  broken  frag- 
ments of  his  crockery,  in  the  lee-scuppers.  The  labour 
of  getting  rid  of  the  cargo,  added  to  the  pumping,  was 
continued  the  whole  day;  towards  noon  we  got  at  the 
tin  and  iron,  and  at  sunset,  the  mate  calculated  that  we 
had  heaved  over  twenty  ton  of  crockery,  and  seventy 
ton  of  metal. 

Here  I  must  pause,  to  dwell  for  a  moment  on  the  il- 
lustration, afforded  by  our  present  circumstances,  of  the 
inscrutable  wisdom  and  mercy  of  that  Being  whom  we 
are  constantly  incensing  by  our  disobedience,  and  in- 
sulting by  our  ignorant  complaints,  but  who,  neverthe- 
less, bears  with  our  infirmities,  and  often  compels  us  to 
love  and  admiration  by  making  the  very  grievances  of 
which  we  complain  the  visible  instruments  of  our  pre- 
servation. This  reflection  was  suggested  by  looking 
at  the  scene  on  deck  ;  for,  during  the  first  week  of  the 
voyage,  we  (in  the  cabin)  had  often  complained  of  the 
smell,  dirt,  and  other  nuisances  occasioned  by  the  num- 
ber of  emigrants  stowed  in  the  steerage,  most  of  whom 
were,  as  I  have  said,  of  the  most  wretched  and  ragged 
class  that  Ireland  exports  to  the  colonies  ;  and  we  had 
often  remarked  how  much  more  agreeable  the  voyage 
would  have  been  had  they  not  come  on  board.  Had 
our  wish  been  granted,  our  term  of  life  had  now  been 
short  indeed! — if  the  ship's  complement  had  consisted 
only  of  the  crew  and  cabin  passengers,  we  should  have 
been,  ere  this,  worn  down  by  fatigue,  and  unable  to 
keep  her  afloat ;  for,  besides  the  ordinary  sailors'  duty, 
the  pumps  required  six  men  at  work  without  intermis- 
sion, day  and  night,  while  the  heaving  over  of  the  car- 
go found  full  employment  for  twenty  more  ! 


STORMY    NIGHT.  21 

During  the  whole  of  the  3rd  the  wind  blew  fresh 
from  the  north,  and  the  captain  made  all  sail  for  the 
Azores,  which  islands  were  between  two  and  three 
hundred  miles  to  the  south.  In  the  evening  it  changed 
to  the  south-west ;  and,  gradually  increasing  in  vio- 
lence, before  midnight  became  a  heavy  gale.  It  was 
indeed  a  dreadful  night ;  several  storms  of  hail,  the 
stones  of  which  were  larger  than  any  I  had  ever  seen 
in  Europe,  fell  in  rapid  succession  ;  the  ship  laboured 
and  rolled  so  heavily  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could 
cling  to  my  berth,  while  trunks,  boxes,  and  everything 
not  securely  lashed,  rolled  about  the  cabin,  making  a 
din  sufficient  to  keep  even  weariness  from  sleep. 

In  the  morning  I  scrambled  on  deck,  clothed  in  a 
thick  jacket ;  and,  partially  sheltered  under  the  wea- 
ther bulwarks,  held  fast  to  the  rigging.  I  had  read  of 
storms  at  sea,  but  my  conception  had  never  figured 
anything  so  terrible  as  the  scene  before  me.  A  lurid 
saffron  light  mingled  with  the  dusky  blackness  of  the 
clouds,  which  resembled  the  effect  of  some  wide-spread 
conflagration  at  night,  rather  than  the  light  of  day  ;  the 
ship,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  at  lying-to,  was  scud- 
ding under  bare  poles  ;  every  stick  had  been  reduced, 
and  a  storm-jib,  which  had  been  set  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore I  came  on  deck,  was  blown  into  ribands  !  The 
might  of  the  o,cean  was  now  aroused,  and  the  large  ship 
was  a  cock-boat ;  three  men  were  lashed  to  the  helm, 
watching  every  plunge  of  her  bows,  and  careful  to  save 
her  from  being  struck  by  any  of  the  tremendous  seas 
which  were  sometimes  towering  high  over  her  yard- 
arm. 

Captain  Phillips,  who  had  been  familiar  with  the 
Atlantic  for  two-and-twenty  years,  (and  who  had  beha- 
ved throughout  this  trying  scene  with  admirable  firm- 
ness and  self-possession,)  assured  me  that  never  in  win- 
ter or  in  summer  had  he  encountered  weather  so  severe, 
while  the  rolling  of  the  ship  rendered  it  almost  impos- 
sible to  work  the  pumps,  for  sometimes  they  would 
scarcely  draw,  and  the  men  could  not  keep  on  their 
legs  ;  the  hatches  were  closed,  and  the  hold  could  not 
be  sounded,  but  it  was  too  certain,  under  these  circum- 


22  OFFICES    OF    DEVOTION. 

Stances,  that  the  leak  was  gaining  ground.  I  saw  the 
mate  place  an  axe  by  the  foot  of  the  mast,  a  symptom 
which,  together  with  the  glances  he  interchanged  with 
the  captain,  convinced  me  that  they  were  preparing  for 
the  worst.  To  complete  the  gloom  of  the  prospect  we 
were  driving  with  headlong  speed  to  the  north-east, 
that  is,  directly  contrary  to  the  quarter  where  was  our 
only  hope  of  finding  a  harbour. 

I  seriously  believed  that  our  appointed  time  was  at 
hand,  when  my  reflections  were  disturbed  by  a  sudden 
cry  of  warning  from  Captain  Phillips,  (who  sprung  up 
the  weather  mizzen-shrouds  with  the  activity  of  a  cat,) 
but  before  I  could  catch  his  meaning,  or  look  around,  a 
heavy  sea  struck  us  and  broke  over  the  quarter-deck, 
sweeping  everything  moveable  before  it.  I  was  un- 
conscious of  anything  further  until  I  found  myself 
stuck  in  the  lee-rigging,  being  thus  providentially  saved 
from  being  carried  over-board.  Drenched,  bruised, 
and  having  lost  my  oil-skin  hat,  I  retreated  below,  en- 
sconced myself  in  my  berth  ;  and,  favoured  by  the  pre- 
ceding day's  fatigue  and  a  sleepless  night  contrived  ere 
long  to  fall  asleep. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  I  went  again  on  deck,  and 
found  that  the  gale  had  abated  in  violence ;  but  there* 
was  still  a  very  heavy  sea,  and  the  pumps  were  f^^orked 
with  difficulty.  The  dissenting  minister,  (although 
not  a  man  of  powerful  mind  or  energy,)  was  a  serious 
and  sincere  Christian  ;  Avith  the  consent  of  the  captain, 
he  called  together  on  deck  from  cabin,  forecastle,  and 
steerage,  all  who  were  disposed  to  join  in  the  offices  of 
devotion  ;  and  after  a  prayer  appropriate  to  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  were  placed,  proceeded  to  read 
that  magnificent  portion  of  Scripture,  where  the  Psalm- 
ist, after  describing  the  wonderful  works  of  the  Almigh- 
ty, displayed  on  the  deep  in  storm  and  terror,  completes 
and  concludes  his  graphic  description  with  those  mer- 
ciful and  consolmg  words,  "  He  maketh  the  storm  a 
calm,  so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still.  Then  are 
they  glad  because  they  be  quiet :  so  He  bringeth  them 
unto  their  desired  haven."* 

»  Ps.  107,  V.  23,  et  seq. 


CONDUCT  OF  THE  LADIES.  23 

Most  of  the  labourers  and  sailors  listened  with  serious 
attention  ;  but,  alas  !  there  were  some,  especially 
among  the  latter,  who  sneered  and  scoffed  at  the  exer- 
cise in  which  we  were  eno^aged,  and  I  heard  one  fellow 
say  to  his  messmate,  "I  say,  Jack,  this  d — d  gale  o'  wind 
and  leak  has  all  been  owing  to  the  parson  ;  if  I  could 
have  had  my  way,  we'd  have  heaved  him  overboard 
long  before  this  ?"  Such  is  human  nature,  when  de- 
graded by  ignorance  and  vice,  and  untouched  by  mercy 
or  by  grace.  Later  in  the  evening,  the  wind  fell,  and 
the  sea  subsided  ;  the  pumps  worked  more  easily  ;  and, 
as  soon  as  it  was  daylight  on  the  following  morning, 
we  were  able  to  resume  the  labour  of  heaving  over  the 
cargo. 

The  conduct  of  the  ladies  throughout  this  trying 
scene  was  most  exemplary ;  and  although  the  relation 
of  sister,  child,  and  husband,  involved  in  common  dan- 
ger with  them,  added  sharper  pangs  to  the  natural  ter- 
ror inspired  by  their  situation,  they  were  almost  uni- 
versally composed  and  resigned. 

On  the  5th,  the  wind  continued  still  to  head  us  off 
from  our  attempt  at  reaching  the  Azores  ;  at  2  p.  m.  we 
made  a  sail  on  the  weather-bow ;  we  hoisted  signals  of 
distress  ;  she  noticed  them,  and  bore  down  towards  us  : 
the  weather  being  now  moderate,  she  lowered  a  boat 
and  sent  a  mate  and  half-a-dozen  men  on  board  of  us. 
She  proved  to  be  the  Lady  Raffles,  from  Bengal,  bound 
for  London ;  they  said  that  if  we  were  in  extreme  dan- 
ger, they  could  take  a  dozen  or  two  of  our  complement, 
but  that  they  were  very  crowded,  had  still  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  miles  to  run,  and  were  scant  both  of 
water  and  provisions. 

Great  was  the  doubt  and  dispute  and  anxiety  amidst 
our  passengers,  as  to  who  should  leave  our  unlucky 
ship,  and  return  in  safety  to  England.     The  German 

merchant,  Mr.  the  architect  and  his  wife,  with 

one  or  two  others  in  the  cabin,  who  had  been  through- 
out most  subdued  and  depressed  by  terror,  determined 
at  once  to  leave  the  ship  :  there  was  a  fearful  conflict  in 
the  mind  of  one  of  our  passengers,  who  had  been,  I  be- 
lieve, a  lawyer  in  the  west  of  Scotland,  and  had  now 


24  DEPARTURE     OF  PASSENGERS. 

sailed  with  his  family  for  Canada,  where  he  intended 
permanently  to  reside.  I  felt  much  for  him,  as  he  asked 
my  advice  whether  he  should  return  or  remain.  I  told 
him  that  I  could  offer  him  no  advice  as  I  was  alone, 
and  he  had  his  wife  and  children  on  board,  but  that  I 
myself  intended  certainly  to  remain  :  he  decided  upon 
the  latter  course. 

While  our  departing  passengers  were  collecting  their 
baggage,  I  overheard  a  few  words  which  fell  from  one 
of  the  Irish  labourers,  at  which  I  could  not  refrain  from 
smiling.  I  was  rather  a  favorite  among  these  poor  fel- 
lows, as  I  had  joked  with  them,  and  encouraged  them 
at  the  pumps  ;  many  of  them  had  worked  at  the  har- 
vest, in  the  west  of  Scotland,  and  knew  my  family,  so 
they  call  me  the  young  Scotch  lord.  They  gathered 
eagerly  towards  the  quarter-deck  to  learn  who  and  how 
many  were  about  to  leave  the  ship  :  I  then  overheard 
one  of  them  say,  ''We'll  just  see  what  the  young  Scotch 
lord  does ;  if  he  stays,  it's  all  right."  Indeed,  I  think 
it  probable  that  if  I  and  two  or  three  more  of  the  cabin 
passengers  had  gone  on  board  the  Lady  Raffles,  these 
fellows  would  have  considered  themselves  deserted, 
and  believing  their  case  to  be  hopeless,  might  have  be- 
come quite  unmanageable. 

As  Mr. went  over  the  ship's  side  I  cautioned 

him  strongly  against  alarming  our  friends  and  relations 
in  England,  by  spreading  reports  of  our  danger  on  his 
return,  and  in  half  an  hour  we  saw  him  and  his  com- 
panions safely  placed  on  the  deck  of  the  Indiaman  ;*  we 
returned  to  our  pumping  and  heaving  out  cargo,  ma- 
king every  exertion  to  reach  the  Azores.  For  three 
days  these  labours  continued  without  intermission ;  the 
lightening  of  the  ship  had  produced  a  sensible  effect 
upon  the  leak,  but  it  was  still  so  nearly  balanced  by 
the  power  of  the  pumps,  that  the  latter  could  not  be 
suspended  for  ten  minutes  in  three  hours,  without  risk. 
We  were  at  one  time  threatened  with  a  mutiny,  on  the 
subject  of  ardent  spirits,  which  the  steerage-passengers 

^  *  I  am  sorry  to  add  that  this  caution  was  neglected,  and  that  on 
the  arrival  of  the  Lady  Raffles  reports  of  our  having  been  left  at  sea 
in  a  hopeless  condition  were  widely  circulated. 


THREATENED    MUTINY.  25 

insisted  upon  having  served  out,  whereas  it  had  been 
determined  from  the  first  day  of  the  leak  to  lock  up  the 
spirit-room,  which  did  not  contain  a  three  days'  supply 
for  the  number  of  claimants,  who  would  have  been  more 
ungovernable  while  it  lasted,  and  discontented  when  it 
was  finished  ;  so  the  captain  firmly  adhered  to  his  re- 
solution. A  few  of  them,  whose  turn  it  was  to  pump, 
refused  to  work  unless  they  got  some  whisky  ;  he  told 
them  they  might  be  drowned,  but  that  they  should  be 
drowned  sober,  not  drunk.  We  prepared  our  fire-arms 
in  the  cabin  to  defend  the  spirit-room  in  case  of  neces- 
sity. 

Meantime  the  resolute  courage  of  the  captain  of  the 
gang  on  duty  (who  was  a  powerful  young  man  from 
Anglesea)  settled  the  question  ;  he  called  out  his  men 
by  rotation,  and  the  first  recusant  he  knocked  down 
with  his  fist,  the  second  he  treated  in  the  same  manner, 
when  seeing  that  he  was  determined,  and  that  although 
they  could  get  no  whisky,  they  might,  through  a  few 
minutes  more  delay,  be  drowned,  they  caught  hold  of 
the  pump  ;  I  jumped  in  among  them,  and  we  worked 
away  as  merrily  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  breeze  having  continued  favourable  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  we  were  rejoiced  on  the  8th  by  the  cry  of 
''land  a-head  ;"  it  proved  to  be  Graciosa,  the  northern- 
most of  the  Azores.  In  the  evening  we  shortened  sail, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  were  off  Fayal.  I  leave 
it  for  the  reader  to  imagine  the  sensations  of  delight  and 
gratitude  which  accompanied  the  first  view  of  this  de- 
sired haven,  after  the  fatigue  and  danger  to  which  we 
had  for  nine  days  been  exposed. 


26  APPROACH    TO   FAYAL. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Approach  to  Fayal. — Peak  of  Pico. — Reception  by  the  British  Consul. — 
The  Town — its  dechning  State. — Politeness  of  the  People. — Singular 
Custom. — Inauguration  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Fayal. — The 
Fayal  Authorities. — Agriculture. — Donkeys. — Volcanic  Formation  of 
the  Island. — Market  Days. — Cruelty  to  an  Animal. — Delightful 
Climate. — Rock  Pigeons. — A  quaint  old  Hunter. — Perilous  Ascent. 
— A  good  Shot. — The  American  Consul  and  his  Daughters. — Beautiful 
Orange  Garden. — Exquisite  Scenery. — Evening  Parties. — Absurd 
Custom. — Successful  Attempt  to  reform  it. 

The  opening  of  these  western  islands  from  the  north 
is  strikingly  beautiful.  At  first  sight  the  round  sloping 
hills  of  Fayal  recall  the  Isle  of  Man  to  remembrance, 
but  the  soft  air,  the  verdure,  the  orange  groves,  tell  of 
a  gentler  climate ;  while  the  Peak  of  Pico,  with  his  lofty 
summit  towering  above  a  wreathed  mantle  of  clouds, 
looks  down  upon  the  cluster  of  isles  beneath  with  the 
pride  of  a  mountain  autocrat.  After  passing  through 
the  strait  which  separates  Pico  from  Fayal,  and  round- 
ing two  bold  headlands  in  the  latter  island,  the  town 
gradually  opens  upon  the  view  ;  it  is  of  a  crescent  form, 
the  streets  having  followed  the  indented  margin  of  the 
bay,  and  the  hills,  by  which  it  is  surrounded  on  three 
sides,  are  covered  with  orange,  lemon,  lime,  box,  gera- 
nium, and  other  beautiful  shrubs. 

On  landing,  we  went  to  the  house  of  the  British  Con- 
sul, Mr.  Walker,  from  whom  we  experienced  a  kind 

reception  ;  indeed  he  pressed  Captain and  myself 

with  so  much  sincerity  to  take  up  our  abode  with  him 
that  we  could  not  decline  so  agreeable  an  offer.  Fayal 
does  not  boast  of  an  inn  or  tavern  of  any  description  ; — 
the  other  cabin  passengers  were  billetted  in  different 
half-occupied  half-furnished  houses,  while  the  steerage 
emigrants  were  all  quartered  in  a  spacious  convent 
which  had  been  dismantled  and  pillaged  by  some  of  the 
adherents  of  Don  Pedro  ;  meanwhile  the  poor  Wa- 
verly  would  have  sunk  in  the  harbour,  had  not  the  cap- 


THE    TOWN.  27 

tain  hired  relays  of  Portuguese  boatmen  to  pump  her 
out  continually  until  arrangements  could  be  made  for 
heaving  her  down,  there  being  no  dry  dock  in  any  port 
of  the  Azores. 

The  town  consists  principally  of  one  long  straggling 
street,  from  which  many  smaller  ones  branch  off  at 
right  angles.  The  buildings  are  generally  whitewash- 
ed and  have  a  cleanly  appearance,  but  there  are  many 
and  evident  marks  of  declining  trade,  population,  and 
wealth :  some  large  houses  are  empty,  others  going  to 
ruin,  and  the  public  buildings  (which  are  spacious  pic- 
turesque edifices,  with  no  pretensions  to  architecture) 
are  in  a  miserable  state  of  dilapidation ;  one  of  them 
seems  to  perform  the  functions  of  all  the  rest,  as  it  an- 
swers the  various  purposes  of  customhouse,  treasury, 
home  and  foreign  office,  a  barrack,  and  a  college  ! — 
Some  of  the  houses  attest  by  their  shattered  doors  and 
broken  windows  that  they  belonged  to  Miguelites  du- 
ring the  late  civil  war.  The  Pedro  party  is  quite  tri- 
umphant here,  their  few  and  feeble  opponents  having 
migrated  to  other  islands.  A  stranger  is  much  struck 
by  the  extraordinary  and  somewhat  inconvenient  po- 
liteness shown  to  him  by  all  classes  in  the  street :  those 
in  the  upper  ranks  of  life  take  off  their  hats  and  bow  ; 
and  the  peasantry  and  labourers  stand  still  and  uncover- 
ed, while  making  way  for  him  to  pass. 

On  the  evening  after  our  arrival  I  witnessed  a  cu- 
rious procession,  the  origin  and  description  of  which 
may  be  so  far  interesting,  as  throwing  some  light  upon 
the  habits  and  religious  prejudices  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  island  of  Fayal  is  divided  into  eight  parishes,  of 
which  three  are  in  the  town.  In  each  of  these  are  cho- 
sen, on  every  successive  Sunday  between  Easter  and- 
Whitsunday,  an  Emperor  and  an  Empress :  they  are 
elected  by  universal  suffrage  of  their  fellow  parishion- 
ers, from  the  middle  and  lower  orders,  their  office  last- 
ing, of  course,  one  week  :  they  may  or  may  not  be  re- 
lated to  each  other,  and  have  no  power,  authority,  or 
privilege  of  any  kind  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  obliged 
to  furnish  wax  candles  for  the  churches  on  the  day  of 
heir  inauguration,  and  to  provide  a  certain  quantity  of 


28  INSTALLATION. 

food  for  the  poor,  and  a  treat  of  wine  and  other  drink  to 
their  companions.  The  ceremony  may  probably  cost 
them  from  twenty  to  thirty  dollars  ;  and  yet,  such  is  the 
force  of  prejudice  and  habit,  that  even  in  the  present 
depressed  and  impoverished  state  of  the  island,  this 
empty  distinction  is  sought  with  the  greatest  avidity  by 
men  who  can  scarcely  find  wherewithal  to  feed  or  clothe 
themselves  and  their  families.  I  am  assured,  it  is  by 
no  means  uncommon  for  their  imperial  honours  to  be 
preceded,  or  followed,  by  a  few  weeks'  imprisonment 
for  debt. 

On  the  day  of  their  installation  they  go  in  procession 
through  the  streets  with  flags  and  banners,  discordant 
music,  and  still  more  discordant  cries,  to  the  church, 
where  the  priest  places  a  silver  tinsel  crown  upon  their 
heads  and  performs  other  trifling  ceremonies.  As  they 
pass  along,  they  receive  from  many  houses  tribute  of  a 
small  donation,  which  is  offered  by  them  at  the  church, 
for  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  honour  of  whom  the  festival  is 
said  to  have  been  originally  instituted  :  a  collection  is 
always  made,  because  it  appears  to  be  the  custom  of  the 
lower  orders  when  attacked  by  sickness  or  disease,  to 
go  to  bed,  and,  taking  neither  remedy  nor  medical  ad- 
vice, to  vow  so  many  farthings  to  the  Holy  Ghost  on 
this  occasion,  in  the  event  of  their  recovery.  The 
evening  is  closed  by  drinking  and  dancing  to  a  jing- 
ling guitar,  until  fatigue  and  intoxication  terminate  the 
feast. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  inauguration  of  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  Fayal.  "  Take  physic, 
Pomp  !"  and  see  how  low,  even  in  human  estimation, 
the  imperial  name  may  fall  !*  -If  in  future  ages  our  dis- 
embodied spirits  are  permitted  to  recall  and  review  the 
scenes  in  which  they  mingled  while  on  earth,  perhaps 

*  Conf.  Schiller's  Piccolomini,  Act  iii.  Sc.  3. 

'*  So  iniisst  es  einem  seligen  Geiste  seyn, 
Der  aus  den  wohmungen  der  eurgen  iFrende. 
Zu  seinen  kinder  spielen,  und  Geschaften, 
Zu  seinem  neigungen,  und  Briiderschaften, 
Zum  ganzen  armen  menscheit  weiderkehrte  !" 


THE    FAYAL    AUTHORITIES.  29 

the  glories,  the  treasures,  the  quarrels  and  jealousies  of 
the  rulers  of  nations  will  appear  as  trifling,  as  worth- 
less and  ephemeral,  as  the  idle  pageant  above  descri- 
bed.     .    -^^--^  ^. 

The  Fayal  authorities,  whether  civil,  military,  or  ec- 
clesiastic, seem  to  be  very  unimportant  personages  both 
as  to  their  duties  and  appointments.  The  police,  such 
as  it  is,  appears  to  be  under  the  control  of  a  prefect  and 
subordinate  officers,  who  also  attend  the  custom-house, 
the  prohibitory  regulations  of  which  are  as  severe  as  in 
the  frontier  districts  of  Prussia  or  Austria.  During  my 
stay,  the  military  governor's  force  consisted  of  a  few 
recruits  miserably  drilled  and  accoutred  ;  the  artillery 
boasted  of  eleven  men  and  a  lieutenant ;  while  the  re- 
ligious establishments  were  directed  by  an  Ouvidor  or 
superintendant,  responsible  to  a  superior  resident  at  Ter- 
ceira,  the  latter  being  the  deputy  of  the  Bishop  of  the 
Azores,  who  was  at  this  time  (1834)  supposed  to  be 
with  Don  Pedro's  army. 

The  agriculture  of  the  island  is  as  remarkable  for  la- 
borious industry,  as  for  the  awkwardness  and  want  of 
skill  with  which  that  industry  is  applied.  The  hills 
are  cultivated  to  the  very  top,  while  many  of  the  more 
fertile  spots  in  the  valleys  are  exhausted  by  overcrop- 
ping, and  rendered  unproductive  by  neglect.  The  vin- 
tage had  failed  for  several  successive  years ;  but  the 
proprietors  of  farms,  who  are  generally  merchants  in 
the  town,  could  not  lower  the  rents  in  consequence  of 
their  commercial  losses ;  the  natural  consequence  is 
that  the  soil  has  been  burthened  and  exhausted  in  the 
attempt  to  extract  from  it  an  unusual  quantity  of  pro- 
duce. The  carts,  drawn  only  by  oxen  and  cows,  are 
huge  ponderous  machines,  with  enormous  wheels  very 
narrow  in  the  tire.  As  might  be  expected,  they  cut  an 
unpaved  road  into  holes  and  ruts  in  a  very  few  days. — 
The  jolting  and  creaking  sounds  emitted  by  the  dry 
axles  of  these  primitive  vehicles,  prevent  any  conver- 
sation from  trespassing  in  their  neighbourhood. 

The  streets  are  execrably  paved,  and  altogether  the 
most  favourable  I  ever  saw  for  the  production  of  bro- 
ken shins  and  sprained  ancles.     There  are  very  few 


30  VOLCANIC    FORMATION. 

horses  or  ponies  on  the  island,  donkeys  being  used  for 
those  excusions  which  are  too  long  to  be  performed  on 
foot  by  the  elderly  merchants  and  ladies.  We  had 
many  amusing  scenes  with  these  obstinate  though  sure 
footed  animals,  while  making  trips  of  pleasure  to  the 
gardens  and  villas  above  the  town  ;  for  they  knew  so 
well  the  roads  leading  to  their  favourite  haunts  or  sta- 
bles, that  they  were  very  little  disposed  to  consult  the 
wishes  of  their  riders  as  to  the  line  of  march,  and  a  dis- 
pute upon  this  point  was  generally  accompanied  by 
smart  blows  on  one  side,  and  sundry  active  and  absurd 
flourishes  of  the  heels  on  the  other. 

The  volcanic  formation  of  the  island  meets  the  eye 
in  every  quarter :  the  houses  are  built  and  the  streets 
are  paved  with  lava,  and  many  of  the  rough  stones  ly- 
ing about  the  hills  and  in  the  beds  of  the  streams,  look 
as  if  they  were  quite  fresh  from  the  furnace.  There 
seems  to  be  no  scarcity  of  domestic  animals.  On  the 
market  days,  which  are  Thursday  and  Sunday,  the 
town  wears  a  very  busy  appearance.  An  ordinary 
cow  is  worth  fourteen  or  fifteen  dollars,  a  pig  two,  a 
sheep  one  and  a  half,  and  fowls  are  sold  at  a  shilling 
each  English  money. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival,  an  incident  occurred, 
which  shows  the  necessity  for  extending  Mr.  Martin's 
act  beyond  the  shores  of  Great  Britain.  A  ragged  fel- 
low,employed  occasionally  as  a  sedan-chairman, bought 
a  miserable  donkey  for  three  shillings,  and  putting  a 
rope  round  the  poor  animal's  neck  dragged  it  about  the 
town,  vociferating  its  merits,  and  endeavoring  to  make 
some  profit  by  reselling  it ;  presently  it  was  so  exhaust- 
ed by  fatigue  and  weakness  that  it  dropped  down  in 
the  street ;  he  beat  it  most  unmercifully  with  a  cudgel 
till  he  broke  one  of  its  legs,  and  dragged  it  forward  on 
its  sidC;  while  a  rabble  of  boys  and  street-vagabonds 
drew  it  by  the  tail,  threshing  it  with  thongs  and  sticks. 
I  was  sitting  at  dinner  in  the  English  Consul's  house 
when  these  wretches,  with  the  victim  of  their  cruelty, 
passed  before  the  windows.  I  caught  up  a  loaded  gun 
and  sallied  forth  to  the  rescue  ;  but  the  poor  creature 
was  past  all  hope  of  recovery  from  the  blows   and 


AN    OLD    HUNTER.  31 

wounds  it  had  already  received.  I  lost  no  time,  how- 
ever, in  terminating  its  sufferings  by  lodging  the  charge 
of  my  gun  in  its  brain.  Meanwhile,  the  chairman 
worked  himself  into  a  great  fury,  stamped,  tore  his  hair, 
shook  his  fist,  and  poured  forth  a  torrent  of  Portuguese 
Billingsgate,  which  produced  little  effect  upon  me,  who 
did  not  understand  it.  He  also  threatened  to  appeal  to 
the  judge ;  a  threat  he  was  too  prudent  to  put  in  exe- 
cution, being-  well  aware  that  his  own  conduct  would 
not  have  met  with  judicial  approbation. 

I  never,  in  any  part  of  the  world  enjoyed  a  climate  so 
delightful.  At  mid-day  the  sun  was  powerful ;  but  the 
heat  was  always  tempered  by  the  fresh  ocean-breeze, 
which  prevented  any  sensation  of  lassitude.  I  fre- 
quently amused  myself  by  long  walks  into  the  interior 
in  pursuit  of  quails,  which  were  abundant ;  but  as,  at 
this  season,  they  were  chiefly  in  the  standing  crops, 
my  sport  was  thereby  much  curtailed.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  I  ventured  to  trespass  therein,  but  was  general- 
ly recalled  to  a  sense  of  my  offence  by  loud  cries  from 
the  labourers.  I  must  own  that  they  were  very  good- 
humoured  on  these  occasions,  and  never  carried  their 
warnings  to  the  length  of  threats  or  incivility. 

I  went  out  several  times  in  search  of  rock-pigeons. 
These  birds  are  not  unlike  the  blue  pigeons  found  in 
the  islands  on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland.  They  are 
small,  slate-coloured,  and  fly  with  exceeding  rapidity  ; 
they  build  their  nests  in  the  crevices  of  the  black  pre- 
cipitous rocks  which  gird  the  S.  W.  shore  of  the  island. 
The  best  time  for  shooting  them  is  during  the  heat  of 
the  day,  when  they  fly  in  countless  numbers  into  the 
interior  to  slake  their  thirst  at  the  fresh  springs  among 
the  hills.  The  hunter  who  knows  these  resorts,  may, 
by  concealing  himself,  kill  as  many  in  two  or  three  shots 
as  he  can  wish  to  carry  home.  I  went  with  an  old 
hunter  to  attack  them  in  their  rocky  haunts  ;  his  ap- 
pearance was  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  and  very 
nearly  answered  the  description  of  Cooper's  inimitable 
"Leather-stocking,"  for  he  was  clad  in  a  jerkin  of  lea- 
ther, leggings  of  the  same  material  protected  his  legs, 
on  his  feet  were  sandals  of  undressed  ox-hide,  and 


32  PERILOUS    ASCENT. 

on  his  head  a  rough  sheep-skin  cap  :  he  carried  an  old 
Spanish  fowling-piece,  the  barrel  of  which  was  of  great 
length  and  solidity,  while  the  ponderous  lock  was  so 
slow  in  its  movement,  and  the  priming-pan  so  distant 
from  the  breech,  that  it  seemed  constructed  on  purpose 
to  give  warning  to  the  object  at  which  it  was  levelled, 
to  move  out  of  danger  ;  in  fact,  it  would  require  no  great 
stretch  of  imagination  to  liken  the  discharge  of  this  pri- 
mitive firelock  to  a  pinch  of  snuff  administered  to  an 
unpractised  nose,  where  one  hears  the  nasal  sniff  ac- 
companying the  admission  of  the  powder  into  the  nos- 
tril, and  after  a  minute  or  two,  the  report  of  the  conse- 
quent sneeze. 

Armed  with  this  venerable  weapon,  the  no  less  vene- 
rable hunter  contrived  to  be  the  most  celebrated  poacher 
on  the  island.  He  brought  more  quails  and  pigeons  to 
market  than  any  other  man ;  his  sagacity  was  great, 
and  his  patience  inexhaustible ;  he  never  wasted  pow- 
der and  shot  upon  a  single  member  of  the  feathered 
tribe,  but  crept  into  ravines,  hid  himself  behind  the 
walls  or  hedges  ;  and  whenever  he  could  find  a  luck- 
less family  of  quails  at  their  morning  meal  and  grouped 
conveniently  for  his  purpose,  or  whenever  a  thick  flight 
of  pigeons  passed  over  his  head,  he  fired  into  the  midst 
of  them,  never  showing  malice  against  any  individual 
of  the  species,  but  giving  them  all  an  equal  chance  of 
destruction  or  escape  with  most  praiseworthy  impar- 
tiality ;  however,  as  the  gun  above-described  was  gene- 
rally loaded  with  a  full  charge  of  powder  and  about 
three  ounces  of  shot,  he  rarely  returned  with  an  empty 
pouch. 

With  this  quaint  old  hunter  I  sallied  forth  one  morn- 
ing along  the  shore,  in  search  of  pigeons.  After  walk- 
ing for  a  mile  or  two,  the  sloping  beach  abruptly  ter- 
minated, and  we  continued  our  course  along  a  narrow 
ledge  of  rocks,  which  was,  for  some  distance,  but  little 
raised  above  the  sea  ;  on  our  other  hand  were  the  high 
black  precipices  to  which  I  have  before  referred,  and 
among  which  hundreds  of  pigeons  were  wheeling  and 
circling  in  the  air,  quite  out  of  the  range  of  shot.  After 
a  time,  the  old  man  quietly  said  that  we  must  go  to  the 


A    GOOD    SHOT.  33 

top  of  the  rocks,  as  we  should  there  find  better  sport. 
I  looked  at  the  dark  frowning  masses  above  us,  and 
thought  either  that  he  was  in  a  joke  or  that  I  misun- 
derstood him,  as  I  had  but  small  skill  in  the  Portu- 
guese tongue  ;  nevertheless,  he  said  there  were  "  steps" 
or  "  stairs,"  and  led  the  way  towards  them.  On  arri- 
ving at  the  indicated  spot,  I  was  indeed  surprised  to 
find  that  there  were  notches  or  steps  in  the  rock,  partly 
natural,  and  partly  cut  by  hunters  or  smugglers,  which 
afibrded  sufficient  foot-hold  for  a  practised  climber. 
My  old  companion  seemed  quite  familiar  with  this 
path,  and  went  up  it  as  leisurely  as  if  he  had  been 
walking  on  level  ground  :  I  followed  as  well  as  I  was 
able,  but,  before  I  was  half-way,  wished  that  1  had  not 
attempted  it ;  for  independently  of  the  novelty  of  the 
exercise,  I  laboured  under  disadvantages  from  which 
he  was  free  ;  his  soft  pliant  sandles  enabled  him  to 
cling  better  with  his  feet  than  I  could  with  a  pair  of 
thick  shooting-shoes ;  and  he  scrupled  not  to  use  his 
long  barrelled  gun  as  a  prop  or  staff  whenever  he  re 
quired  its  aid  ;  my  short  double-barrel  could  answer  no 
such  purpose,  so  it  was  with  some  risk  and  difficulty 
that  I  kept  close  to  my  guide  ;  I  never  looked  down- 
wards, being  afraid  that  my  head  might  become  giddy ; 
and  when  we  reached  the  top,  I  was  more  glad  than  I 
chose  to  express. 

If  the  activity  of  old  "  Leather-stocking"  surprised 
me,  I  was  soon  able  to  surprise  him  in  turn  ;  for,  two 
pigeons  passing  over  us  in  full  flight,  I  fired  right  and 
left,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  them  both  drop 
within  ten  yards  of  his  feet.  I  never  saw  astonishment 
so  visibly  painted  on  a  human  face  ;  for  a  minute  he 
seemed  unable  to  articulate,  and  when  he  did  speak, 
the  only  words  he  uttered  were,  '•  O  diabo  o  spingad 
ed  o  cacador  ?"*  We  continued  our  ramble  until  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  returned  laden  with  pigeons. 

The  wealthiest  proprietor  in  Fayal  is  Mr.  D — , 

the  American  Consul ;  we  found  him  extremely  hos- 
pitable 5  and,  as  his  daughters  and  a  friend  on  a  visit 

*  The  gun  is  a  devil,  and  so  is  the  hunter. 


34  PEAK   OF    PICO. 

to  them  were  the  first  American  ladies  whom  I  had 
seen,  I  observed  their  manners,  appearance,  and  con- 
versation, with  no  Uttle  interest.  Abhorring  as  1  do 
the  custom,  too  prevalent  among  travellers,  of  lepaying 
the  courtesies  shown  to  them  abroad  by  violating  the 
privacy  of  the  society  into  which  they  have  been  ad- 
mitted, I  shall  say  no  more  here,  than  that  the  impres- 
sion which  I  received  at  Fayal  was  most  favourable, 
and  that  the  hours  spent  in  the  American  consul's 
house  were  most  agreeable.*  Adjoining  it  was  a  beau- 
tiful orange-garden,  and  there,  when  the  heat  of  the 
sun  invited  to  the  enjoyment  of  shade,  I  often  stretched 
myself  under  the  boughs  of  a  large  orange-tree,  feasting 
my  eyes  on  the  lovely  prospect  below,  and  occasionally 
refreshing  my  thirst  with  the  delicious  fruit  which 
tempted  me  from  above  ;  the  narrow  sea  dividing  Fayal. 
from  Pico,  was  studded  with  fishing  and  ferry  boats, 
beyond  which  were  stretched  the  black  rocks  and  hang- 
ing vineyards  of  the  opposite  coast,  while  the  distant 
landscape  was  filled  by  the  undulating  hills  of  St. 
George's  Island ;  but  the  object  on  which  my  eye  most 
loved  to  dwell,  was  that  noble  peak  to  which  I  have 
before  referred.  There  may  be  many  higher  mountains 
in  the  world,  but,  (excepting  the  Peak  of  Tenerifte,) 
there  is  none  that  rises  abruptly  from  the  level  of  the 
sea  to  so  great  an  elevation.  On  one  side  of  it  is  al- 
most a  continuous  precipice,  and  its  height  is  calcula- 
ted at  9000  feet ;  it  is  "  alone  in  in  its  glory,"  no  rivat 
summit  robs  it  of  one  fleecy  "  loaiiAerer  of  the  sky  ;"t 
it  seems  as  if  every  cloud  within  the  sphere  of  its  at- 
traction came  to  repose  upon  its  lofty  crest ;  and  as  they 
feel  the  influence  of  the  winds  which  sweep  unobstruc- 
ted over  the  wide  ocean,  they  are  wreathed  and  piled 
into  a  thousand  varied  and  fantastic  shapes,  ever  chang- 
ing their  colour  as  they  receive  the  impression  of  the 
solar  rays. 

*  One  of  the  cabin-passengers  in  the  Waverly,  a  young  Scotch  gentle- 
man, was  so  severely  wounded  by  the  bright  eyes  of  a  daughter  of  the 
Consul,  that  he  afterwards  returned  from  Canada,  and  married  her. 

t  "  Scgler  the  Lufte."— >Sci7Zer. 


ABSURD    CUSTOM.  35 

It  may  be  well  imagined  that  the  arrival  of  the  Wa- 
verly  had  created  no  small  sensation  in  Fayal,  and 
several  evening  parties  were  given  by  the  Portuguese 
leader  of  fashion  in  honour  of  the  "  distinguished  fo- 
reigners." 

We  found  them  at  first  very  dull  and  formal,  from 
the  custom  which  was  universally  observed  of  separa- 
ting the  gentlemen  from  their  fair  partners,  and  thus 
restricting  all  conversation  between  them  to  the  pe- 
riod when  they  were  actually  engaged  in  dancing. — 
The  ball-room  was  generally  the  termination  of  the 
suite  of  apartments ;  round  it  and  close  to  the  walls  sat 
all  the  ladies,  playing  with  their  fans,  chatting  to  each 
other  in  whispers,  and  looking  as  if  all  their  happiness 
was  in  expectancy ;  in  the  adjoining  ante-room  the 
men  lounged,  or  stood  in  small  groups,  while  the  most 
gallant  placed  themselves  at  the  folding-doors  looking 
wistfully  into  the  paradise  which  they  seemed  forbid- 
den to  enter.  When  the  music  began,  they  hastened 
forward,  claimed  their  respective  partners,  and  after  the 
dance  returned  to  the  outer  apartment ;  or  if  a  few  lin- 
gered in  the  ball-room,  it  was  only  to  stand  opposite  to 
the  fair  wall-flowers  where  every  sentence  spoken  was 
necessarily  overheard  by  the  persons  on  either  side. 

After  enduring  this  unnecessary  penance  for  some 
time,  two  or  three  bold  spirits  from  the  Waverly  deter- 
mined to  efiect  a  radical  reform  of  the  social  abuse < 

Accordingly,  to  the  surprise  of  the  islanders,  we 
brought  chairs  i\i  from  the  adjoining  room ;  and  after 
the  dance,  seated  ourselves  by  the  ladies'  bench,  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  them.  The  unexpected 
audacity  of  this  proceeding,  precluded  all  possibility  of 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  maintainors  of  the  "  an- 
cien  regime."  Not  only  was  our  triumph  complete ; 
but  before  we  left  Fayal,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  lieutenant  of  artillery  and  other  native  beaux 
follow  our  heroic  example. 


36  MARINE    EXCURSION. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  Marine  Excursion. — Novel  Mode  of  landing. — Dinner  with  Captain  L, 
— A  Portuguese  Ecclesiastic. — Latin  Conversation  with  him. — Pico. 
Wine. — Excursion  resumed. — Disagreeable  Quarters. — A  Storm. — 
Providential  Escape. — Velas. — Volcanic  Craters. — A  buried  Church. — 
Unlucky  Search  for  Game. — Female  Costume. — Fuel. — Return  to 
Fayel. — The  Waverly  again  ready  for  Sea. — Serious  Affray. — Its 
Consequences. — A  Street  Squabble. — Cowardly  Threats. — Leave 
Fayal. 

After  a  fortnight  thus  agreeably  spent  in  Fayal,  I 
determined  to  see  some  of  the  other  islands ;  and  ac- 
cordingiy  hired  a  boat  manned  by  four  stout  seamen 
and  a  pilot,  whose  services  I  engaged  for  a  week. 

Not  being  able  to  prevail  upon  any  of  my  fellow-pas- 
sengers to  accompany  me  on  this  excursion,  I  embark- 
ed with  Mr. 5  the  son  of  the  Dutch  consul,  who 

was  kind  enough  to  volunteer  his  company,  which  was 
the  more  agreeable  and  useful  inasmuch  as  he  spoke 
the  language  fluently,  and  was  acquainted  with  many 
persons  in  the  places  that  I  was  about  to  visit.  We 
started  with  a  fresh  breeze,  and  ran  across  the  channel 
separating  Fayal  from  Pico,  (which  is  eight  or  nine 
miles  wide,)  in  the  space  of  an  hour. 

As  we  approached  the  shore,  I  could  distinguish  a 
village  composed  of  a  few  dozen  scattered  houses  ;  a 
few  people  were  also  to  be  seen,  and  boats,  and  nets, 
but  I  could  nowhere  discern  a  creek  or  harbour,  nor 
any  indication  of  a  landing-place.  The  coast  is  girt  by 
black  and  frowning  rocks  ;  and  although  there  was  not 
a  heavy  sea  running,  a  formidable  row  of  breakers 
dashed  over  the  point  for  which  our  pilot  was  steering. 
I  was  utterly  at  a  loss  to  conceive  how  we  were  to  ef- 
fect a  landing :  but,  being  myself  only  a  passenger,  and 
seeing  the  rest  of  the  party  apparently  unconcerned,  I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  to  remain  in  my  seat  and  watch 
their  movements  in  silence. 


DINNER    WITH    CAPTAIN    L .  37 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
rocks  half-a-dozen  stout  fellows,  armed  with  long  pole?, 
were  prepared  to  assist  our  disembarkation.  Two  of 
our  own  boat's  crew  stood  on  the  bows  provided  with 
similar  staves,  (which  resemble  very  closely  the  iron- 
shod  punt-poles  used  by  the  bargemen  in  the  Thames,) 
with  these  the  boatmen  and  those  on  shore  fended  us 
oif  for  a  minute  or  two,  until  the  boat  being  raised  by  a 
wave  larger  than  the  rest,  they  gave  a  simultaneous 
shout,  and  allowed  her  to  be  carried  high  upon  the 
rocks,  those  on  shore  breaking  her  fall  by  applying 
their  shoulders  and  fenders  brought  down  for  the  pur- 
pose. This  mode  of  landing  was  new  to  me,  but  I  pre- 
sume those  who  are  accustomed  to  it,  like  it  as  well  as 
drawing  a  boat  upon  a  sandy  beach.  I  do  not  think  I 
ever  saw  finer  or  more  muscular  fissures  than  the  bare- 
armed  bare-legged  fellows  who  attend  the  landing  of 
Pico  boats.  Their  countenances  are  swarthy  and  sun- 
burnt, and  they  seem  to  live  half  their  lives  in  the  surf, 
and  to  treat  its  foam  and  rage  with  the  coolest  indiffe- 
rence. 

On  going  up  to  the  village,  I  heard  that   Captaia 

L had  come  from  Fayal  early  in  the  day,  and  was 

giving  a  dinner  to  the  dignitaries  of  the  island  :  I  de- 
termined upon  witnessing  this  scene  of  hospitality  ; 
and,  on  entering  the  room,  I  found  the  captain  doing 
the  honours  at  the  end  of  a  table,  round  which  sat  a 
dozen  persons,  total  strangers  to  me,  and  who  must  have 
been,  half-an-hour  before,  equally  strange  to  their  ex- 
cellent entertainer.  As  he  could  not  speak  a  word  of 
Portuguese,  nor  of  any  other  language  intelligible  to 
his  guests,  the  conversation,  carried  on  by  signal,  and 
the  civilities  interchanged  by 

Quips  and  cranks,  and  wanton  wiles, 
Nods  and  becks,  and  wreathed  smiles, 

was  amusing  in  the  highest  degree.  The  captain  ha- 
ving made  his  friends  understand  that  I  was  a  Scottish 
grandee  of  the  first  class,  I  was  treated  with  the  most 
profound  respect,  and  the  distinguished  post  of  croupier 
was  forthwith  assigned  to  me. 


38  A    PORTUGUESE    ECCLESIASTIC. 

After  a  few  minutes  passed  in  bowing  to  my  right 
and  left,  and  in  various  modes  of  telegraphic  commu- 
nication, I  perceived  that  the  chair  on  the  right  of  our 
host  was  occupied  by  a  portly  good-humoured  eccle- 
siastic. The  bright  idea  immediately  struck  me  that  I 
might  here  derive  some  advantage  from  my  Eton  edu- 
cation, so  I  addressed  the  priest  with  a  "  salve,  vir  re- 
verendissime,"  v/hich  instantly  drew  his  attention,  and 
that  of  the  whole  company,  to  my  learned  self;  the 
good  priest  rose  from  his  chair  and  answered  my  salu- 
tations in  a  torrent  of  complimentary  eloquence,  which 
showed  me  but  too  plainly  that  the  pronunciation  of 
Latin,  as  taught  at  Eton,  had  not  fitted  me  for  under- 
standinof  or  beino-  understood  in  conversation  with  a 
Portuguese.  But  the  good  priest  was  so  delighted  at 
the  opportunity  thus  given  himj  for  astonishing  his 
companions  with  the  learning  of  himself  and  the  Scot- 
tish grandee,  that  he  soon  found  means  to  obviate  the 
difficulty  resalting  from  the  difference  of  our  pronun- 
ciation. Two  sheets  of  paper  were  provided,  on  one  of 
-vhich  he  wrote  me  a  complimentary  address  on  my 
arrival,  assuring  me  therein  that  the  '^  Scottish  nation 
was  the  greatest  on  earth,  that  the  island  of  Pico  had 
never  been  so  honoured  before,  and  that  my  visit  would 
be  treasured  in  its  latest  annals." 

Having  had  some  experience  in  public  dinners  in 
Britain,  1  flatter  myself  I  was  not  a  bad  match  for  the 
priest  at  the  weapons  v.^hich  he  had  chosen.  I  assured 
him  '■  that  my  feelings  of  gratification  were  too  over- 
whelming to  be  conveyed  in  words  ;  that  this  was, 
without  exception,  the  proudest  moment  of  my  life,  and 
that  I  congratulated  the  island  of  Pico  on  the  posses- 
sion of  a  reverend  luminary  whose  learninof  and  elo- 
quence were  not  inferior  to  that  of  Grotias  or  Eras- 
mus !" 

It  was  difficult  to  retain  my  gravity  while  the  good 
man  read  this  effusion  half  aloud  to  Jumself,  and  after- 
wards translated  it  into  Portuguese  for  the  benefit  of 
the  auditors.  Unequivocal  expressions  of  admiratjon 
and  satisfaction  circulated  through  the  company  ;  and 
being  desirous  of  securing  an  honorable  retreat  in  or- 


PICO   WINE.  39 

der  that  I  might  continue  my  excursion,  I  thought  no 
fairer  opportunity  than  the  present  could  occur  ;  so  I 
withdrew  amid  bows  and  compHments  yet  more  pro- 
fuse than  those  that  accompanied  my  entrance,  and  am 
much  disappointed  if  my  name  be  not  recorded  in  Pico 
as  the  "  Admiral  Crichton"  of  this  century. 

I  wished  very  much  to  ascend  the  peak,  but  was  as- 
sured it  was  impracticable  until  the  month  of  August,  in 
consequence  of  the  rmmber  of  deep  fissures  covered 
by  soft  and  melting  snow.  I  endeavoured  by  the  offer 
of  money  to  induce  several  of  the  islanders  to  accom- 
pany me  as  guides  in  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  ;  but 
finding  that  they  invariably  refused,  I  was  obliged 
to  give  up  the  attempt.  I  understand  that  several  ac- 
tive pedestrians  have  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top,, 
but  it  has  always  been  during  the  autumn  months 
that  the  ascent  has  been  successfully  attempted. 

There  is  little  or  no  society  in  Pico,  as  it  belongs 
chiefly  to  proprietors  who  reside  in  Fayal,  and  who 
visit  their  property  only  at  those  seasons  when  their 
presence  is  necessary.  Wine  is  the  sole  produce  worth 
mentioning.  The  quantity  made  in  this  island,  and 
sold  in  London  as  Madera,  is  much  greater  than  is 
generally  known,  or  than  the  English  merchants  would 
be  content  to  acknowledge.  On  the  island  it  may  be 
very  cheaply  purchased  ;  it  is  always  mixed  with  a 
considerable  portion  of  brandy,  and  the  best  that  I  have 
tasted  is  certainly  equal  to  Madeira  of  second  quality. 
The  whole  broad  base  of  the  peak,  and  indeed  all  that 
part  of  Pico  which  fell  under  my  observation,  is  cov- 
ered with  vineyards.  Few  of  the  orange  or  other  ver- 
dant plants  that  adorn  the  hills  of  Fayal,  are  here  to 
be  seen.  The  island  wears  altogether  a  dark  and 
gloomy  aspect,  rendered  yet  more  threatening  by  the 
black  rocks  which  guard  its  shore,  and  by  the  gigan- 
tic crest  of  the  peak  which  towers  above  it  from  its 
throne  of  clouds. 

Having  re-embarked,  we  coasted  along  the  shore  to 
a  smal  1  village  a  few  miles  to  the  eastward,  where  it 
was  proposed  that  we  should  pass  the  night.  The 
evening  was  beautiful,  and  the  air  so  still  that  our  men 


40  DISAGREEABLE    aUARTERS. 

were  obliged  to  take  to  the  oars.  I  was  not  a  little 
amused  at  the  strang-e  objurgations  with  which  they 
stimulated  each  other  to  labour  :  "  Vamos,  perga, — 
perga, —  vamos  con  Deos,"  (fee. 

We  arrived  about  sunset  at  our  resting-place  ;  and, 
owing  to  the  calmness  oi  the  water,  effected  our  land- 
ing more  easily  than  in  the  morning.  We  took  up 
our  quarters  at  a  large  empty  house,  belonging  to  a 
merchant  residing  in  Fayal,  who  had  permitted  us  to 
make  what  use  we  could  of  it,  and  had  warned  us  that 
we  should  find  little  comfort  or  attendance.  The  room 
into  which  I  was  shown  was  spacious  and  entirely 
devoid  of  furniture,  except  a  deal  table,  a  wooden  chair, 
and  an  old  bedstead  in  the  corner,  over  which  was 
spread  one  of  those  abominable  cotton  wadded  cover- 
lets, which  rarely  see  the  laundry,  and  which  are  made 
to  answer  the  purpose  of  counterpane,  blanket,  and 
sheet.  Being  somewhat  tired;  I  was  rash  enough  to 
venture  my  person  on  this  uninviting  couch  :  but  in 
less  than  half  an  hour,  sustained  an  attack  sufficiently 
disagreeable  to  make  me  repent  my  audacity.  Fortu- 
nately I  had  not  extinguished  the  rushlight  ;  spring- 
ing out  of  bed  I  seized  it,  and  bringing  it  to  the  scene 
of  battle,  found  it  positively  alive  with  the  crawling 
vermin  from  which  I  had  effected  my  escape.  I  took 
my  revenge  upon  ten  or  twelve  of  the  ringleaders,  who 
were  still  on  my  pillow  ;  and  throwing  myself  on  the 
floor  in  a  corner  of  the  room  with  my  cloak  around 
me,  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

On  the  following  morning,  we  embarked  for  the 
island  of  St.  George,  which  was  about  twenty  or 
twenty-five  miles  distant.  Although  the  sky  looked 
somewhat  threatening,  our  pilot  (who  was  an  expe- 
rienced boatman)  said  that  we  should  cross  before  tlie 
bad  weather  came  ;  but  that  if  we  remained  an  hour 
or  two  longer,  we  might  be  detained  some  time.  On 
this  occasion  his  experience  seemed  to  have  misled 
him :  we  were  not  yet  half  way  across  when  it  came 
on  to  blow  very  fresh,  and  our  small  open  boat  was 
tossed  about  like  a  cockle-shell  on  the  mighty  Atlantic, 
which  began,  like  a  lion  roused,  to  snort  and  roar  un> 


A    STORM.  41 

der  the  impulse  of  the  breeze.  Every  minute  the  wmd 
increased  in  violence  ;  black  heavy  clouds  were  piled 
in  the  western  sky,  and  gave  evidence,  not  to  be  mis-, 
taken,  of  an  approaching  storm,  Two  of  the  sailors, 
who  seemed  to  be  fellows  of  weak  and  cowardly  cha-. 
racter,  began  to  cry  and  howl,  and  call  on  all  the  saints 
in  their  calendar,  and  we  were  obliged  to  reduce  them 
to  silence  by  the  application  of  a  smart  blow  from  a 
cane,  and  threats  of  still  rougher  usage. 

Our  only  hope  of  safety  now  rested  in  the  dexterity 
of  the  pilot,  who  skilfully  eased  off  the  bows  of  his 
boat,  and  made  her  rise  buoyantly  over  the  white  an- 
gry waves  which  threatened  to  break  over  her.  All 
his  exertions,  however,  could  not  prevent  our  shipping 
a  great  deal  of  water,  which  I  and  another  were  con- 
stantly employed  m  balino-  out  with  our  hats.  As  we 
had  not  provided  ourselves  with  ballast  sufficient  for 

an  emergency  like  this,  Mr. and  a  sailor  (the  two 

heaviest  of  the  party)  was  desired  to  lie  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  to  assist  in  keeping  her  steady.  Hav- 
ing reduced  our  lateen  sail  to  demensions  little  larger 
than  an  ordinary  pocket-handkerchief,  we  scudded  on 
with  fearful  speed  towards  the  port  of  Velas,  to  which 
we  were  bound. 

Every  ten  minutes,  as  they  past,  added  to  the  angry 
appearance  both  of  sea  and  sky,  and  we  were  momea- 
tarily  in  imminent  danger  of  being  swamped.  It  re.- 
quired  only  one  mistaken  turn  of  the  helm,  or  wrist, 
to  bring  us  in  collision  with  one  of  the  huge  breakers 
over  which  we  were  now  driving  with  such  reckless 
speed,  and  we  must  have  been  buried  under  it  in  an 
instant,  without  hope  of  rescue  or  escape.  However, 
it  pleased  Providence  that  we  should  reach  the  shore 
in  safety.  As  we  approached  the  pier,  which  protects 
the  little  fishing  harbour  of  Velas,  most  of  its  inhabi- 
tants, who  had  viewed' our  approach  with  anxiety  and 
interest,  hastened  down  to  the  beach  :  when  we  stepped 
on  shore,  they  crowded  round  the  pilot,  eager  to  learn 
what  urgent  business  or  important  political  event  had 
brought  him  over  in  such  tempestuous  weather.  This 
man  had  some  dry  native  humour,  and  (having  learned 


42  VELAS. VOLCANIC     CRATERS. 

from  Mr.  ■ that  I  had  brought  my  fowling-piece 

with  an  intention  of  shooting  a  few  of  the  rabbits  which 
were  said  to  abound  in  the  hills)  he  answered  them 
very  gravely,  "  'Tis  only  an  Englishman  come  to 
shoot  rabbits  !"  The  crowd  dispersed  with  various 
exclamations,  some  of  surprise,  others  of  incredulity, 
but  none  very  flattering  to  my  wisdom  or  prudence. 

We  lost  no  time  in  making  our  way  to  the  house 
where  we  were  to  take  up  our  quarters.  It  was  an 
unfurnished  building  of  very  moderate  dimensions. 
We  soon,  however,  procured  a  table  and  a  few  chairs, 
supplying  the  remainder  of  the  furniture  from  our 
own  baggage. 

Velas  is  a  small  town  containing  about  3000  inhabi- 
tants ;  its  situation  is  most  beautiful  and  picturesque, 
extending  along  the  shores  of  the  little  bay  that  forms 
the  harbour,  and  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  steep 
mountains  covered  with  luxuriant  shrubs  to  the  very 
summit,  among  which  I  noticed  tne  orange,  lemon, 
peach,  and  vine,  which,  at  this  delightful  season,  were 
mostly  either  in  blossom  or  just  budding  into  fruit. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  I  went  to  see  the  craters 
formed  by  the  last  volcanic  eruption  which  occurred 
in  1808 :  they  are  about  3000  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  are  seven  or  ei^ht  in  number  :  all  the 
little  valleys  and  watercourses  in  their  vicinity  are 
choked  by  lava,  the  main  stream  of  which,  however, 
ran  down  the  opposite  or  eastern  declivity  of  the  island; 
there  its  course  is  marked  with  fearful  evidence.  The 
whole  summit  is  strewed  with  black  sand,  and  the  side 
of  the  hill  below  is  a  wide  continued  waste  of  lava. 
Yet  even  in  the  very  midst  of  this  vast  fiery  deluge 
one  small  verdant  spot  has  been  permitted  to  remain 
(like  the  rainbow  in  the  heaven)  an  emblem  of  sparing 
mercy  amid  the  most  destructive  inflictions  of  Provi- 
dence. 

I  was  much  amused  with  my  guide  telling  me  that 
the  mountain  on  which  we  stood,  was  full  of  volcanic 
fire  close  to  the  surface;  in  proof  of  which,  he  bade 
me  put  my  finger  down  to  the  cinders  on  which  I  was 
walking,  and  feel  their  excessive  heat.     1  did  so,  and 


BURIED    CHURCH.  43 

truly  enough  they  were  hot ;  but  not  being  quite  such 
a  simpleton  as  he  was  himself  or  believed  me  to  be,  I 
scraped  up  a  few  of  the  ashes  with  my  foot,  and  bid- 
ding him  then  put  in  his  finger,  showed  him  that  the 
deeper  he  went  the  cooler  they  were,  and  that  the  heat 
proceeded  altogether  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Near 
the  base  of  the  hiU  is  still  to  be  seen  the  steeple  of  a 
church,  emergingfrom  the  lava  under  which  the  body  of 
the  building  lies  buried.  The  inhabitants  consider  the 
extraordinary  preservation  of  this  steeple  as  a  mark  of 
the  peculiar  favour  of  Heaven  for  the  spot  ;  and,  re- 
gardless of  the  destruction  which  overwhelmed  the 
former  village,  they  have  built  a  new  one  precisely  on 
the  same  site.  There  the  vine,  the  fig,  and  the  orange, 
are  already  starting  into  luxuriance,  and  the  villagers 
point  with  confidence  to  their  antediluvian  spire,  care- 
lessly pursuing  their  daily  avocations  above  graves  of 
their  pi'edecessors  and  the  slumbering  fire  below. 

Having  been  informed  that  the  sides  of  the  hills 
which  had  been  spared  by  the  eruption,  abounded 
with  rabbits,  I  toiled  up  thither  with  my  fowling-piece 
under  a  hot  sun,  the  rays  of  which  were  rendered 
more  oppressive  by  reflection  from  the  blackened  sur- 
face over  which  I  walked.  The  services  of  a  native 
hunter  were  engaged  for  the  occasion,  and  he  appeared 
on  the  hill  accompanied  by  half-a-dozen  curs  and  by 
three  times  as  many  boys  and  country  lads,  who  had 
come  out  to  see  the  foreigner  shoot.  The  brushwood 
was  very  thick,  and  averaged  two  or  three  feet  in 
lieight,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  shot,  unless 
the  rabbits  chose  to  cross  from  one  patch  of  cover  to 
the  other.  As  it  happened,  this  was  not  their  choice, 
the  hunter  whistled,  the  boys  shouted,  and  the  curs 
yelped  incessantly,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  and  after  idle- 
ing  away  an  hour  or  two  in  this  profitless  sport,  I  re- 
turned towards  the  town. 

The  language,  manners,  and  habits  of  the  people 
were,  of  course,  much  the  same  as  those  at  Fayal ; 
nor  did  I  see  any  thing  remarkable  in  their  dress,  ex- 
cepting that  of  the  females  when  goino-  to  mass.  This 
consists  of  a  large  black  crape  fastened  at  the  waist, 


44  RETURN    TO    FAYAL. 

covering  the  head,  and  passing  over  a  very  wide  square 
of  pasteboard  or  wood.  It  skives  them  a  most  extraor- 
dinary appearance,  and  althougli  it  probably  answers 
the  intended  purpose  of  protecting  the  wearer  from  the 
sun,  it  makes  the  upper  part  of  the  figure  strange  and 
disproportioned  to  the  lower. 

Fire- wood,  both  in  this  and  the  neighbouring  islands, 
is  extremely  scarce,  and  the  poorer  inhabitants  are  in 
the  habit  of  collecting  cow-dung,  which,  when  dried 
in  the  sun,  they  cut  into  squares,  pihng  them  like  peat 
in  Scotland.  They  use  it  as  fuel,  and  when  once  ig- 
nited it  burns  well  and  retains  the  heat  a  long  time, 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  writmgs  of  Eastern 
travellers,  must  be  well  aware  that  the  camel's  drop- 
ping is  similarly  applied  by  the  wandering  Arab  and 
Tartar  tribes  both  in  Asia  and  Africa.* 

After  rambling  for  several  days  about  this  pretty 
picturesque  island,  I  determined  to  return  to  Fayal, 
and  embarked  accordingly.  Old  Ocean  was  in  one  of 
his  tranquil  moods,  and  his  surface,  was  as  smooth 
and  still  as  a  mill-pond,  affording  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  those  who  might  be  fond  of  the  exercise  of 
rowing.  The  distance  being  twenty-five  miles,  we 
did  not  reach  our  destination  till  late  in  the  evening, 
and  I  was  not  ill-disposed  to  enjoy  the  comfort  and 
cleanliness  of  the  consul's  house  after  the  annoyance 
from  fleas  and  other  vermin  to  which  I  had  been,  dur^ 
ing  my  excursion,  exposed. 

We  had  now  been  a  month  in  the  Azores,  and  the 
repairs  of  the  Waverley  were  nearly  completed  ;  by 
many  of  the  party  it  was  with  mingled  feelings  of  re- 
gret and  satisfaction  that  the  announcement  of  her 
readiness  for  sea  was  received.  As  I  am  not  a  sailor, 
and  still  less  a  ship  carpenter,  I  shall  not  attempt  any 
minute  description  of  the  appearance  or  causes  of  the 
leak.  When  examined,  after  heaving  down,  there 
was  a  rent  or  fissure  of  about  six  feet  in  length,  and 

*  I  little  thought  while  writing  this  sentence,  that  on  the  following 
year  I  should  be  myself  siltinp-,  vvith  a  horde  of  North  American  Indians, 
round  a  fire  made  of  buffalo-dung,  on  the  great  Western  Prairies  of  the 
Missouri. 


SERIOUS    AFFRAY.  45 

capable  of  admitting  such  a  body  of  water,  that  it  was 
a  matter  of  astonishment  how  the  ship  had  been  kept 
so  long  afloat  at  sea.  The  captain  was  confirmed  in 
his  belief  that  the  accident  had  been  occasioned  by  a 
strain  arising  from  the  injudicious  stowage  of  iron, 
and  the  vessel  plunging  against  a  heavy  sea ;  but  he 
very  prudently  did  not  tell  us  a  fact  of  which  he  must 
have  been  well  aware,  that,  although  a  finely  propor- 
tioned and  handsomely  rigged  vessel,  she  was  some- 
what crank  in  her  timbers,  and  had  been  built  less 
with  a  view  to  durability  than  to  economy  and  space. 

It  was  decided  that  we  were  to  embark  on  the  12th 
of  June,  and  the  intervening  days  were  spent  in  excur- 
sions of  pleasure  to  the  neighbouring  villas,  and  the 
evenings  in  music  and  dancing.  As  the  embarkation 
of  so  many  persons  was  a  matter  of  some  time  and 
trouble,  (there  being  neither  dock  nor  pier  in  the  har- 
bour,) it  was  prudently  arranged  that  the  steerage 
passengers  should  go  on  board  on  the  11th. 

On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  I  was  enjoying  my  last 
dinner  at  the  table  of  my  hospitable  and  worthy  host, 
when  I  suddenly  heard  my  name  shouted  by  a  female 
voice,  with  howls  and  lamentations  not  to  be  mistaken, 
^'-  Oh,  your  honor,  your  honor  !  my  lord,  my  lord,  it's 
yourself  must  come  down  to  the  beach  immediately  ; 
for  they  have  kilt  my  poor  Dennis,  and  murdered  us 
all  entirely."  Understanding  from  her  cries  that  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost,  I  caught  up  my  walking  stick, 
and  hastened  after  her  to  the  scene  of  action.  My 
arrival,  however,  was  too  late  to  be  of  any  service  to 
the  poor  Irishman,  several  of  whom  were  stretched 
upon  the  sand,  some  severely  wounded,  and  two  or 
three  without  sense  or  motion.  As  for  poor  Dennis, 
(by  whose  wife  I  had  been  summoned,)  I  thought  he 
was  certainly  dead.  Upon  examining  his  head,  I 
found  that  it  had  been  cleft  open  with  a  hatchet,  the 
skull  itself  was  fractured;  neither  could  we  extract 
from  the  unfortunate  man  any  symptoms  of  life.  After 
giving  a  hasty  glance  at  the  other  wounded  men,  I 
found  that,  although  badly  hurt,  none  of  them  were  in 
immediate  danger. 


46  ITS    CONSEQUENCES. 

The  report  of  the  affray  had  soon  circulated  through 
the  town,  and  assistance  was  promptly  offered  to  those 
who  were  able  to  avail  themselves  of  it.  I  devoted 
myself  altogether  to  poor  Dennis,  whose  wife  was  now 
seated  on  the  beach,  holding  his  head  in  her  lap,  and 
endeavouring  to  staunch  the  blood  that  flowed  from  his 
wound.  As  he  was  a  very  strong  and  powerful  man, 
and  apparently  of  a  sanguine  temperament,  I  thought 
(if  he  yet  indeed  lived)  that  more  danger  was  to  be 
apprehended  from  brain  fever  than  from  effusion  of 
blood,  so  I  obliged  her  to  desist,  and  to  permit  the 
blood  to  flow ;  and,  having  obtained  assistance,  con- 
veyed the  sufferer  to  a  large  half-furnished  apartment 
which  was  called  by  courtesy  an  hospital.  I  lost  no 
no  time  in  sending  for  the  nearest  surgeon  :  a  little 
dapper  Portuguese  came  in ;  and  having  slightly 
examined  the  wound  and  the  ghastly  appearance  of 
the  patient,  he  coolly  said,  "  He  could  be  of  no  use,  for 
the  man  was  dead,"  and  soon  after  left  the  room. 

I  know  not  wherefore  I  had  the  impression  that  the 
poor  man  was  not  past  hope  of  recovery,  but  I  sent 
immediately  for  a  young  Englishman,  one  of  our 
cabin  passengers,  who  had  gone  through  his  medical 
studies,  and  having  seen  something  of  hospital  practice, 
was  about  to  push  his  fortune  in  Canada.  Even  before  his 
arrival,  the  patient  showed  some  symptoms  of  his  life : 
a  feather  moved  when  held  before  his  mouth,  a  faint 
motion  betokened  the  struggle  of  returning  animation, 
and  the  joyful  cries  uttered  by  the  wife  were  ahnost  as 
wild  as  those  which  had  before  proceeded  from  her 
agony.  The  young  surgeon  went  about  his  difficult 
task  with  much  skill  and  self-possession.  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  ever  assisted  in  the  operation  of  trepanning  ; 
— he  said  that  he  had  not,  and  had  never  seen  it  per- 
formed but  once.  All  that  he  was  able  to  do  was, 
after  shaving  away  the  hair,  to  press  gently  but  firmly 
together  the  separated  portions  of  the  cranium.  In 
this  I  assisted  him  as  well  as  I  was  able  :  we  then  clo- 
sed the  lips  of  the  wound,  and  bound  up  his  head 
tightly  with  a  strong  linen  bandage.  It  is  needless  to 
describe  the  tedious  process  of  returning  animation,  or 


IRISH    LABOURERS,    AND  47 

the  striig2:les  by  which  it  was  accompanied.  In  a  few 
hours  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  the  poor  fel- 
low utter  a  few  faint  words  of  thankfuhiess,  and  we 
left  him  with  the  assurance  on  tJie  part  of  tlie  youno- 
surgeon,  that  he  was  out  of  immediate  danger. 

But  it  is  time  that  I  should  give  some  account  of 
the  dispute  which  had  led  to  this  unfortunate  affray. 
It  appears  that,  during  the  preceding  week,  several 
differences  and  quarrels  had  arisen  between  the  Irish 
labourers  and  the  Portuguese  boatman,  which  had 
more  than  once  terminated  in  blows.  The  latter  are 
generally  men  of  a  vindictive  disposition  ;  and  being 
somewhat  afraid  of  attacking  the  whole  body  of  Irish 
quartered  in  the  convent,  they  had  cunningly  deferred 
their  revenge  until  three-fourths  of  their  opponents 
were  re-embarked  ;  and  just  as  the  last  division  were 
stepping  into  the  boat  to  join  their  companions,  a  party 
of  these  fellows,  who  had  armed  themselves  with  va- 
rious weapons  employed  in  their  craft,  picked  a  quar- 
yel  with  them,  and  being  very  superior  in  number, 
achieved  an  easy  victory.  During  the  whole  evening 
the  consul  and  the  local  authorities  were  investigating 
and  inquiring  into  the  merits  of  the  case  ;  but,  as 
usual,  both  parties  were  equally  in  the  wrong,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  decide  by  whom  the  first  blow  bad 
been  struck,  or  the  first  provocation  given. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  news  of  the  row  having  reach- 
ed the  Waverly,  a  great  sensation  was  created  on  board. 
The  Paddies  declared  their  determination  to  come  on 
shore  and  revenge  their  countrymen  ;  a  threat  which 
they  certainly  would  have  executed,  had  not  the  cap- 
tain given  strict  orders  that  no  boat  should  leave  the 
ship  under  any  pretence  whatever.  In  spite  of  this  or- 
der, one  fellow  was  so  bent  upon  trying  his  shillelagh 
on  a  Portuguese  head,  that  he  actually  let  himself  down 
into  the  sea  with  an  intention  of  swimming  ashore  ;  but 
being  discovered,  was  with  difficulty  compelled  to  re- 
turn. 

On  the  following  morning  the  wounded  man  had 
made  some  progress  towards  recovery,  but  he  was  still 
too  feeble  to  be  transported  on  board,  and  the  departure 


48  PORTUGUESE    BOATMEN. 

of  the  Waverley  was  accordingly  deferred.  The  blows 
and  injuries  received  by  the  other  Irish  (although  in 
some  cases  very  severe  and  disfiguring)  were  not  such 
as  to  cause  any  apprehension  for  their  safety  ;  but  it 
was  necessary  to  watch  the  ship  closely,  in  order  to 
prevent  another  collision  between  the  hostile  parties. 

I  do  not  believe  that  these  Portuguese  islanders  are  a 
brave  or  determined  race  of  men,  but  if  they  consider 
themselves  aggrieved  or  injured,  they  are  not  very  scru- 
pulous about  the  mode  of  taking  revenge.  An  incident 
which  occurred  to  myself  will  serve  to  ihustrate  this 
point.  I  was  walking  down  the  street  in  company  with 
a  young  lady,  and  when  passing  the  door  of  a  shop,  a 
dog  sprang  from  it,  and  barking  very  fiercely,  was  about 
to  seize  my  companion.  I  placed  myself  between  her 
and  her  assailant ;  and,  fortunately  having  a  very  strong 
thick  stick  in  my  hand,  I  met  his  attack  with  a  blow 
which  felled  him  to  the  ground.  The  owner  came  out 
of  the  shop  apparently  in  a  furious  passion  ;  he  storm- 
ed, and  swore,  and  threatened,  with  so  much  rapidity^ 
that  he  soon  went  beyond  my  small  stock  of  Portuguese 
(of  which  language  I  had  now  acquired  a  slight  know- 
ledge). However,  as  he  did  not  seem  to  wish  to  come 
within  reach  of  the  stick  which  had  so  rudely  received 
his  dog,  the  tongue  was  the  only  weapon  of  offence  he 
employed.  A  number  of  people  now  collected  round 
the  shop  door  :  and  not  wishing  to  embroil  myself,  much 
less  my  companion,  in  a  street  squabble,  we  pursued  our 
way  towards  the  American  consul's. 

At  the  time  I  thought  no  more  of  the  matter  ;  but 
two  days  afterwards  as  I  was  passing  the  same  spot,  a 
shopkeeper  who  lived  opposite  to  the  man  whose  dog  I 
had  struck,  beckoned  me  into  his  house.  As  he  spoke 
a  few  words  of  English,  he  soon  made  me  understand 
that  his  opposite  neighbour  was  a  man  of  a  very  mali- 
cious disposition  ;  that  the  dog  had  been  either  killed 
by  the  blow,  or  so  much  hurt  that  they  had  since  been 
obliged  to  destroy  it ;  and  that  he  had  more  than  once 
expressed  his  determination  to  have  my  life  if  ever  he 
could  find  me  out  of  doors  after  it  was  dark.  My  infor- 
mant strongly  urged  the  propriety  of  my  remaining  at 


LEAVE    FAYAL. 


49 


home  for  he  was  sure  the  fellow  would  fulfil  his  pro- 
mise. '  I  thanked  him  for  his  warning ;  but  thmkmg  it 
most  likely  that  this  threatening  talker  was  not  so  for- 
midable a  person  as  his  nei2;hbour  believed  him  to  be, 
I  asked  my  new  friend  if  he  would  go  over  with  me  and 
faithfully  translate  the  expressions  I  should  use,  promi- 
sino-  at  the  same  time  that  they  should  not  be  offensive, 
or  luch  as  to  provoke  an  affray.  He  agreed  to  do  so  ; 
and  crossing  the  street,  we  entered  the  man's  shop. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  appeared  very  much   sur^ 
prised,  and  I  desired  mv  interpreter  to  inquire  of  him 
whether  it  was  true  that  he  had  more  than  once  said,  he 
would  have  my  life  if  he  found  me  in  the  street  after 
dark  ?      He   seemed  a  little  confused,  but  answered 
stoutlv  that  "He  had  said  it,  and  he  meant  it ;"  to  which 
I  answered  that  it  was  quite  fair,  and  that  I  would  be 
equally  frank  with  him.     I  then  stated  that  I  always 
carried  a  brace  of  pistols  about  my  person,  and  as  he 
had  now  declared  his  intentions,  I  added  that  if  ever  1 
fell  in  with  him,  or  saw  him  abroad  after  dusk,  I  should 
immediately  shoot  him.     So  I  took  off  my  hat,  and  nja- 
kino-  him  a'low  bow  left  his  shop.     It  is  needless  to  add, 
that^my  idle  threat  answered  the  intended  purpose  ;  for 
I  never  carried  pistols  or  any  other  defensive  weapon, 
nor  heard  any  thing  more  of  the  valiant  proprietor  of 

the  dog.  .  ,      ,     .     ,      • 

But  to  return  from  this  digression  ;  the  doctor  having 
nowdeciaredthat  Dennis  might  be  moved  on  boardwith 
the  others,  we  embarked  on  the  13th,  parting  with  sm^ 
cere  and,  I  believe,  mutual  regret,  from  those  on  whose 
hospitable  kindness  we  had  been  so  unexpectedly 
thrown.  I  had  been  domesticated  in  the  house  of  the 
British  consul,  and  the  constant  aim  of  himself  and  his 
amiable  family  was  to  contribute  every  thing  in  their 
power  to  my  comfort  ;  so  well  did  they  succeed,  that  1 
almost  felt  in  leaving  them  that  I  was  leaving  a  home. 
The  whole  party  on  board  were  silent  and  melancholy 
and  few  words  were  interchanged,  while  the  black  rocks, 
the  white-washed  houses,  and  verdant  hills  of  Fayal^ 
gradually  faded  in  the  distance. 


50  A    DEAD    CALM. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  dead  calm. — Scant  Allowance  of  Provision  during  the  Voyage. — A 
Whale  shot. — Anchor  off  Sandy  Hook. — The  Quarantine  Station. 
— View  in  the  Narrows. — Variety  of  Shippirjg. — Quarantine  Hospi- 
tals.— New  York. — Iced  Punch — Land  at  New  York. — An  Ameri- 
can Table  d'  hute. — Oppressive  Heat. — Episcopalian  Church. — Cos- 
tume of  American  Ladies. — Visit  to  Rockaway. — American  Omnibus. 
— Desolate  Marsh — Reception  by  Sir  C.  Vaughan. — Rockaway. — Mint 
Julep. — The  celebrated  Compounder  of  this  JN^ectar. 

I  WILL  not  detain  the  reader  by  a  detailed  account  of 
our  voyage  from  the  Azores  to  New  York.  It  was  te- 
dious and  unlucky  to  an  unusual  degree.  After  pas- 
sing Flores  and  Corvo,  (the  two  westernmost  of  the 
Azores,)  we  never  once  squared  the  yards  until  we  ar- 
rived within  thirty  miles  of  New  York.  "We  had  a  con- 
tinued succession  of  baffling  head  winds  and  dead 
calms  ;  during  the  latter,  we  lay  for  many  days  together 
in  the  midst  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  stream,  under  a  sun 
of  burning  heat,  unrefreshed  by  a  breath  of  air.  and  with 
no  other  amusement  than  to  watch  the  sails  idly  flap- 
ping against  the  mast,  and  gambols  of  the  dolphins,  black 
fish,  and  other  tenants  of  the  western  main. 

The  average  voyage  from  Fayal  to  New  York  being 
estimated  at  sixteen  days,  the  captain  justly  considered 
himself  sufficiently  provided  when  he  had  taken  in  sup- 
plies for  twenty-six  ;  indeed,  in  respect  to  some  articles, 
such  as  fowls  sheep,  (fee.  I  believe  our  provisions  had 
exhausted  the  whole  island  market.  When  we  had 
been  a  month  at  sea,  of  course  we  were  reduced  to  a 
somewhat  scant  allowance,  and  to  other  annoyances 
was  added  the  failure  of  our  stock  of  oranges,  of  which 
we  had  laid  in  a  great  many  chests,  and  which  we  con- 
sidered a  luxury  preferable  to  wine  or  any  other  refresh- 
ment. 

The  only  incident  worthy  of  mention  which  occur- 
red during  this  tedious  voyage,  was  one  which  I  should 


A  WHALE  SHOT.  51 

be  afraid  to  relate,  had  it  not  been  witnessed  by  a 
whole  ship's  company. 

On  the  evening  of  the  22d  June,  several  whales  were 
playing  round  the  ship.  I  was  on  deck  with  my  dou- 
ble-barrelled rifle,  and  was  talking  near  the  bows  of  the 
ship  with  an  old  sailor  who  Jiad  served  many  years  on 
board  a  whaler.  As  one  of  the  whales  came  up  above 
the  water,  not  more  than  thirty  or  forty  yards  distant, 
he  directed  me  to  aim  about  three  feet  behind  the  head, 
and  rather  low  in  the  body ;  I  obeyed  his  instructions, 
and  lodged  both  the  balls  within  a  few  inches  of  each 
other  in  the  part  he  had  pointed  out.  They  pierced  the 
thick  coat  of  blubber,  and  both  probably  entered  the 
heart ;  for  after  a  few  convulsive  struggles,  which  dis- 
coloured the  water  with  blood  and  fat  for  many  yards 
around,  the  unfortunate  whale  turned  upon  his  back, 
and  ere  he  had  floated  past  the  stern  of  the  ship  was  per- 
fectly dead.  We  had  no  tackle  on  board  proper  for 
heaving  him  up,  and  the  evening  being  too  far  advan- 
ced to  permit  the  captain  to  lower  his  boats,  no  advan- 
tage could  be  derived  from  this  accidental  shot,  which 
might  otherwise  have  furnished  us  with  several  barrels 
of  oil.  I  had,  on  several  other  occasions,  struck  the 
whales  and  black  fish  which  played  round  the  ship, 
with  balls  from  the  same  rifle,  but  without  any  other 
apparent  effect  than  making  them  lash  the  water  with 
their  tail  and  go  down  for  a  few  seconds,  after  which 
they  appeared  again  on  the  surface,  pursuing  their  pas» 
time  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  disturb  it. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  havmg  been  at  sea  six  weeks, 
dieted  for  the  last  ten  days  upon  mouldy  biscuit,  salt 
junk,  and  a  very  short  allowance  of  very  foul  offensive 
water,  we  hailed  with  no  little  satisfticticn,  the  cry  of 
"  land  a-head."  This  first  point  of  the  American  con- 
tinent which  met  our  view,  proved  to  be  the  high  land 
of  New  Jersey ;  and  on  the  following  morning,  we 
came  to  anchor  off"  Sandy  Hook. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  we  beat  up  the  Narrows 
to  the  quarantine  station  on  Staten  Island,  where  our 
ship  was  subjected  to  two  days'  quarantine.  There 
being  no  sickness  on  board,  the  cabin  passengers  were 


52  VIEW    IN    THE    NARROWS. 

allowed  by  a  medical  certificate  to  go  on  shore  ;  but 
this  permission  was  not  extended  to  any  of  the  steerage 
passengers  or  to  the  baggage. 

The  view  on  sailing  up  the  Narrows  is  very  beauti- 
ful. The  coast  of  Staten  Island  on  one  side  and  Long 
Island  on  the  other,  is  undulating  and  well  wooded. — 
The  bay  stretching  across  from  the  station  to  New  York 
is  extensive  and  admirably  adapted  to  shipping.  I  was 
particularly  struck  by  the  cleanly  and  graceful  rigging 
of  the  various  vessels  which  were  crossing  it  in  all  di- 
rections. Here  was  to  be  seen  the  majestic  China-man 
floating  gently  down  under  a  crowd  of  canvass  before 
the  light  breeze.  There  the  Baltimore  clipping  brig 
with  her  sharp  bows,  her  low  hullj  and  raking  masts. — 
Nearer  to  the  shore  might  be  seen  "  creeping  like  snail'' 
the  coasting  timber-craft,  and  in  mid-channel  the  gor- 
geous steamer  with  her  painted  bulwarks  and  crowded 
decks,  passing  her  lazy  competitors  with  insulting  speed. 
Amidst  all  these,  news'  boats,  and  pilot  boats,  and  other 
light  shallops,  were  darting  about  from  ship  to  ship  to 
"  welcome  the  coming  and  speed  the  parting  friend." 

All  this  gave  life  and  animation  to  the  scene,  enhan- 
cing its  natural  beauty  ;  but  in  spite  of  ail  these  advan- 
tages, and  of  its  incomparable  superiority  in  space  and 
magnificence  as  a  harbour,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that 
the  descriptions  given  of  this  bay  by  some  travellers, 
have  been  too  highly  coloured  ;  for  there  is  nothing 
bold  or  striking  on  either  shore,  and  the  eye  feels  the 
absence  of  a  distant  outline  on  which  it  may  rest,  such 
as  is  formed  by  the  Alpine  and  irregular  chain  of  moun- 
tains which  fill  the  back  ground  of  the  landscape,  in 
sailing  up  the  Firth  of  Clyde.  The  quarantine  hospi- 
tals are  lofty  and  spacious  buildings,  situated  on  a  slo- 
ping bank  overlooking  the  bay,  and  sheltered  by  a  wood. 
They  are  whitewashed ;  and  all  the  windows  being 
furnished  with  green  Venetian  blinds,  give  an  appear- 
ance of  comfort  and  cleanliness,  which  is  well  main- 
tained by  their  admirable  internal  arrangements. 

My  first  desire  on  landing  was  to  procure  a  glass  of 
fresh  water,  a  luxury  so  long  unknown.  On  applying 
for  some  cool  draught,  a  glass  of  excellent  iced  punch 


NEW  YORK. ICED  PUNCH.  53 

was  put  into  my  hands.  Two  goblets  of  this  delicious 
beverage  did  I  quaff,  when  the  intense  heat  of  the  wea- 
ther, and  the  quarantine  hospital  immediately  opposite 
to  me,  conjured  up  before  my  eyes  the  spectre  of  cho- 
lera, and  a  call  for  the  third  died  upon  my  lips. 

In  forty  minutes  we  had  crossed  the  bay,  and  landed 
at  New  York,  near  the  battery  ;  a  sort  of  round  wooden 
building,  with  an  adjacent  garden,  which  appears  to 
answer  the  purpose  of  a  kind  of  Marine  Yauxhall. — 
Here  we  hired  a  hack,  (for  so  is  a  New  York  hackney 
coach  denominated,)  and  drove  to  the  American  hotel, 
a  distance  of  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile.  On  arri- 
ving we  inquired  the  coachman's  charge,  and  found  that 
here,  as  elsewhere,  a  stranger  runs  considerable  risk  of 
submitting  to  an  operation  which  passes  in  England  by 
the  various  names  of"  being  done."  "  screwed,-'  "  taken 
in,"  "sold,"  "  fleeced,"  &c.  In  America  the  appropriate 
phrase  is  "  shaved;"  and  the  fare  due  being  three  shil- 
lings, our  Jehu  modestly  required  only  three  dollars. — 
After  some  dispute  we  gave  him  two  and  a  half;  and 
as  he  went  away,  one  would  have  thought,  from  the  ex- 
pression of  his  face  that  we  had  cheated  him,  although 
the  fellow  had  received  more  than  five  shillings  above 
his  fare. 

In  justice  to  America  I  must  subjoin  two  observa- 
tions :  first,  that  this  class  of  street  plunderer  is  common 
to  every  city  in  Europe  ;  and,  secondly, that  the  indivi- 
dual in  question  was  evidently  from  that  "  first  gem  of 
the  sea"  whose  sons  perform  the  greater  portion  of  labo- 
rious and  domestic  service  throughout  the  Transatlan- 
tic cities. 

At  five  o'clock  I  dined  for  the  first  time  at  an  Ameri- 
can table  dlibte^  and  I  certainly  never  saw,  at  any  hotel 
in  Europe,  a  dinner  for  so  large  a  party  served  in  bet- 
ter style,  or  with  less  confusion.  The  dishes  were  very 
numerous,  and  the  cookery  respectable.  I  observed  also 
that  the  knives,  glasses,  plates,  &c.  were  remarkably 
clean,  the  table-cloth  of  the  finest  quality,  and  that  ice 
was  applied  in  a  profusion  not  less  unexpected  than 
agreeable  to  the  water,  salad,  cucumber,  butter,  &c. 

In  answer  to  my  inquiries,  1  learnt  from  one  of  my 


54  AMERICAN    TABLE     d'hoTE. 

neighbours  that  this  was  called  the  ladie's  ordinary, 
being  attended  by  the  famiHes  resident  in  the  house, 
and  that  the  usual  public  table  cV  hote  was  daily  at 
two  o'clock,  so  that  if  I  chose  to  attend  it,  I  should 
witness  a  very  different  scene  from  the  well-conducted 
table  now  before  me.  I  certainly  remarked  that  there 
was  less  conv^ersation  than  at  a  German  table  dlibte, 
perhaps  even  less  than  at  an  English  public  table  ; 
and  although  the  dinner  was  a  ceremony  quickly  des- 
patched there  was  neither  haste  nor  scrambling,  such 
as  travellers  are  led  to  expect.* 

The  heat  of  the  weather  was  intense  to  a  degree  of 
which  I  had  never  formed  any  idea.  In  the  evening 
I  strove  in  vain  to  find  a  cool  breath  of  air  among  the 
trees  in  the  park,  or  in  the  streets  ;  I  retired  to  my 
own  room,  threw  off  my  clothes,  and  opened  the  win- 
dows, all  to  no  purpose  ;  I  could  neither  sit,  nor  walk, 
nor  lie  still,  without  continual  perspiration  so  profuse  that 
I  really  felt  as  if  nature  could  not  endure  it  for  many 
hours.  This  state  of  oppression  will  cause  little  sur- 
prise when  I  inform  the  reader  that  in  a  thorough 
draft  of  open  air,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the  ther- 
mometer stood  at  98^  of  Fahrenheit,  a  height  which  I 
am  told  it  rarely  attains  under  similiar  circumstances 
in  the  most  sultry  regions  in  British  India. 

*  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  foregoing  account  is  intended  to 
impugn  the  accuracy  of  the  statements  which  have  been  so  often  laid  be- 
fore the  pubhc,  of  the  greedy  haste  and  confusion  which  are  usually  ob- 
servable at  American  tavern  dinners  :  on  the  contrary,  these  are  deserving 
of  all  the  strong  animadversions  which  have  been  bestowed  upon  them. — 
I  should  probably  be  accused  of  entertaining  the  prejudices  universally  at- 
tributed to  British  travellers  in  the  United  States,  if  I  were  to  express  my- 
self in  terms  only  half  as  strong  as  those  contained  in  th^e  subjoined  ex- 
tract from  the  National  lutelligencer,  published  at  Washington,  Nov.  20, 
1836. — "  Several  persons  have  died  in  New  York  lately,  by  being  choked 
with  edibles,  at  their  meals.  This  is  the  result  of  the  bolting  system,  which 
is  so  generally  adopted  among  our  people.  We  wonder  that  disasters  of 
this  kind  are  not  more  frequent  than  they  are.  A  practice  so  pernicious 
and  so  detrimental  to  health  as  quick  eating — to  say  nothing  of  its  positive 
danger — does  not  exist  in  the  country.  At  the  table  d'hote  of  an  inn, 
where  great  numbers  convene  together,  the  process  of  bolting  would  seem 
to  be  done  by  steam,  and  those  who  perform  it  jaw-moving  automata. — 
They  sit  down  and  rise  up  simultaneously,  accompanied  by  the  quick-time 
music  of  knives  and  forks,  sallying  forth  on  the  instant  to  use  their  quills, 
and  smoke  their  segars  at  leisure.    The  habit  is  a  bad  one.^* 


AMERICAN    OMNIBUS.  55 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday  the  27th,  I  went  to  the 
episcopaUan  church  of  St.  Paul,  in  the  Broadway. 
Tlie  service  there  performed  was  slightly  altered  from 
the  English  liturgy  :  some  of  the  alterations  are  of 
course  necessary,  others  (such  as  the  curtailing  or 
omitting  frequent  repetitions)  appeared  to  me  judicious, 
and  few,  if  any,  can  he  censured  as  departing  either 
in  spirit  or  in  tone  from  the  pure  model  on  which  they 
are  formed.  There  was  nothing  either  in  the  music 
or  in  the  sermon,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  average 
of  our  own  churches. 

In  spite  of  the  extreme  heat,  I  contrived  to  lounge 
for  half  an  hour  in  Broadway,  to  observe  the  crowd 
passing  to  and  from  the  different  places  of  worship. 
The  dress  of  the  ladies  partook  generally  rather  of 
French  than  of  English  costume  ;  and  the  number  of 
pretty  faces  and  sm.all  delicate  feet  that  passed  me  in 
that  short  walk,  led  me  to  believe  that  the  encomiums 
which  I  had  so  frequently  read  upon  American  beauty 
were  not  undeserved.* 

Having  ascertained  that  the  British  minister.  Sir  C. 
Vaughan,  was  at  Rockway,  (a  bathing-place  at  about 
twenty  miles  from  New  York,)  I  proceeded  thither  in 
a  kind  of  light  omnibus,  or  stage.  I  could  not  help 
being  struck  by  an  amusing  commentary  on  the  vanity 
with  which  travellers  charge  the  Americans,  which 
was  furnished  by  the  Marine  stage.  On  both  sides  of 
the  vehicle  there  was  a  painting  of  a  splendid  Grecian 
building,  surmounted  by  a  lofty  cupola,  and  having  in 
its  front  a  lawn  covered  with  shrubs,  cypresses,  (fee. 
all  of  which  was  meant  to  represent  the  place  of  our 

+  From  reading  Captain  Hamilton's  "Men  and  Manners  in  America,"  (a 
work  of  which  1  acknowledge  the  ability,  while  1  dissent  from  many  of  the 
author's  views,)  I  had  been  led  to  expect  great  annoyance  and  inconve- 
nience in  landing  my  baggage  from  the  ship ;  I  was  therefore  agreeably 
surprised  when  I  found  that  the  search  was  less  strict  than  that  made  at 
the  custom-house  in  Liverpool  ;  neither  oath  nor  affidavit  was  required  of 
me  ;  my  servant  brought  all  my  baggage  easily  ashore,  and  I  never  saw  the 
functionary  whose  proceedings  seem  so  much  to  have  irritated  Captain 
Hamilton.  (Vide  "Men  and  Manners  in  America,"  vol.  i.  page  15.) — 
The  talented  author  of  that  work  wrote  it  with  the  avowed  intention  of  ab- 
juring all  prejudice,  and  doubtless  helieved  that  he  was  altogether  impartial, 
the  reader  may  judge  by  comparing  page  20  of  the  same  volume, 


56  DESOLATE    MARSH. 

destination.  On  arriving,  I  found  a  large  square  wooden 
house,  with  a  colonnade  of  wooden  pillars ;  but  no 
cupola,  lawn,  or  trees,  were  to  be  seen  !  Upon  inquir- 
ing the  meaning  of  this,  I  was  informed  that  the  pic- 
ture represented  what  they  intended  the  house  to  be 
either  this  or  the  following  season. 

For  the  first  twelve  or  fourteen  miles,  the  country- 
through  which  we  passed  was  enclosed  and  neatly 
cultivated  ;  but  as  it  approaches  Rockaway,  the  road 
leads  over  a  wide  swamp  or  marsh,  the  desolate  barren- 
ness of  which  I  was  unable  justly  to  appreciate,  being 
engaged  in  a  vain,  but  unceasing  conflict  with  the 
musquitoes,  which  were  in  endless  swarms,  and  which 
•effectually  withdrew  my  attention  from  the  scene 
around. 

On  arriving,  I  found  my  friend.  Sir  C.  Yaughan,  at 
tea,  in  a  large  room  where  there  were  a  hundred 
persons  at  table.  When  I  appeared  beside  his  chair, 
and  called  him  by  name,  he  looked  quite  bewildered, 
and  seemed  somewhat  inclined  to  doubt  the  evidence 
of  his  senses  ;  for,  having  known  that  I  had  embarked 
nearly  four  months  before,  and  having  heard  that  our 
ship  had  been  lost,  he  thought  me  drowned.  Yery 
few  minutes,  however,  explained  how  matters  stood ; 
and  it  was  with  no  small  pleasure  that  I  found  myself 
seated  by  a  neighbour,  with  whom  I  could  enjoy  the 
double  gratification  of  talking  over  subjects  of  mutual 
interest  at  home,  and  of  acquiring  information  and 
introductions  calculated  to  be  useful  during  my  resi- 
dence in  the  United  States. 

Rockaway  consists  of  a  few  scattered  boarding-houses 
and  the  marine  hotel,  the  interior  of  which  is  more 
spacious  and  comfortable  than  I  was  led  to  believe 
from  its  external  appearance  ;  the  sea-beach  is  admira- 
bly adapted  for  bathing,  and  the  place  may  be  said  to 
bear  the  same  relation  to  New  York,  that  Brighton 
bears  to  London,  excepting  that  it  is,  in  comparison, 
more  limited  in  its  extent. 

I  spent  two  or  three  days  liere  very  agreeably,  being 
at  once  introduced  to  many  members  of  the  best  so- 
ciety from  all  parts  of  the  Union.  During  the  morning 


MINT    JULEP.  57 

we  strolled  on  the  shore,  bathed,  rode,  or  drove  about 
in  light  carriages,  which  the  active  horses  of  this  country 
draw  at  a  speed  truly  surprising  :  the  evenings  were 
passed  in  music  or  dancing  ;  and  after  the  ladies  re- 
tired, I  joined  some  of  the  younger  men  of  the  party, 
in  smoking  a  cigar  under  the  verandah,  fanned  by  the 
cool  night  breeze  from  the  sea,  and  making  my  first 
acquaintance  with  a  beverage  approaching  more  nearly 
to  nectar  than  any  that  I  had  ev^er  tasted  or  imagined. 
The  American  reader  will  at  once  know  how  to  apply 
this  panegyric ;  but  how  shall  I  attempt  to  convey  to 
English  senses  all  thy  fragrant  merits  ?  divine  mint 
julep  !  This  delicious  compound  (which  is  sometimes 
in  the  southern  and  western  states  denominated  "  hail- 
storm") is  usually  made  with  wine,  (madeira  or  claret,) 
mingled  in  a  tumbler  with  a  soupcon  of  French  brandy, 
lime,  and  lemon,  ice  pulverised  by  attrition,  and  a 
small  portion  of  sugar,  the  whole  being  crowned  with 
a  bunch  of  fresh  mint,  through  vv^hich  the  liquor  per- 
colates before  it  reaches  the  drinker's  lips  and  "  laps 
him  in  Elysium."  This  beverage  is  supposed  to  be 
of  southern  origin,  and  the  methods  of  preparing  it 
vary  in  the  difierent  states ;  some  Carohnians  will 
assert  that  it  can  only  be  found  in  perfection  at  Charles- 
ton ;  but  I  believe,  that  by  common  consent,  the 
immortal  Willard  (who  kept  the  bar  of  the  city  hotel 
in  New  York  for  many  years)  was  allowed  to  be  the 
first  master  of  this  art  in  the  known  world.  The  name 
of  this  remarkable  personage  is  familiar  to  every  Ameri- 
can, and  to  every  foreigner  who  has  visited  the  States 
during  the  last  thirty  years  ;  I  have  heard  many  cal- 
culations of  the  number  of  mint  juleps  that  he  has  been 
known  to  compound  i]i  one  day,  and  of  the  immense 
profits  resultins:  to  the  hotel  from  his  celebrity  ;  but 
not  having  written  them  down  at  the  moment,  I  will 
not  venture  on  a  vague  statement  here.  His  memory 
was  yet  more  surprising  than  skill  at  concoction  ;  of 
the  hundreds  and  thousands  who  went  in  to  enjoy 
practical  demonstration  of  the  latter,  he  never  forgot  a 
face,  or  a  name  if  once  mentioned ;  even  although  the 
individual  were  absent  for  years,  he  could  at  once 


68  EXPEDITION  UP   THE  HUDSON. 

address  him  as  though  he  had  been  introduced  but 
yesterday. 

But  I  must  return  from  this  digression  to  New  York, 
whither  I  accompanied  the  minister  and  my  other 
friends  after  this  short  but  agreeable  visit  to  Rocka- 
way. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Expedition  up  the  Hudson  River. — Scene  of  the  Death  of  Hamilton. — 
Cooper,  the  American  Novelist. —  Scenery  of  West  Point. — Nursery 
for  the  American  Army. — 'I'he  Cadets. — Albany. — The  Patroon. — 
Railroad  to  Saratoga. — Watering  Places. — Mineral  Water. — Ballston. — 
The  Trenton  Falls. — An  Extra  Exclusive. — The  Prison  at  Auburn. — 
miserable  Appearance  of  the  Prisoners. — Geneva. — Canandaigua.— 
Eminent  Scottish  Agriculturist. — Genesee. — Mr.  W. — Fertile  Mea- 
dows.— Falls  of  Niagara. 

After  spending  a  few  days  at  New- York,  I  started, 
in  company  with  a  friend  belonging  to  the  British 
Legation,  on  the  expedition  up  the  Hudson  river,  to 
which  I  had  so  long  looked  forward  with  eager  expec- 
tation, and  found  myself  embarked  in  the  steam-boat 
Albany,  on  Monday  the  12th  of  August.  The  morn- 
ing was  thick  and  misty,  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents, 
so  that  I  feared  it  would  be  impossible  to  see  either 
bank  of  this  magnificent  river.  However,  the  fog  gra- 
dually rose,  and  I  could  then  discern  a  succession  of 
pretty  villas,  lawns,  and  woods,  not  unlike,  in  some 
respects,  those  that  crown  the  royal-towered  Thames, 
I  could  scarcely  distinguisii  the  spot  pointed  out  to  me 
as  the  scene  of  the  death  of  the  illustrious  Hamilton 
who  fell  in  a  duel  with  Colonel  Burr,  and  whose 
monument  is  now  in  the  cemetery  of  Trinity  Church, 
New  York,  where  his  remains  sleep  lionoured  by  the 
well-deserved  praises  bestowed  upon  him  as  "  The 
patriot  of  incorruptible  integrity,  the  soldier  of  appro- 


SCENERY    OF    WEST    POINT.  59 

ved  valour,  and  the  statesman  of  consummate  wis- 
dom," 

About  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  from  New  York,  I 
had  great  pleasure  in  finding  among  the  passenorers 
Mr.  Cooper  the  American  novelist,  to  wlionii  had  been 
introduced  by  Mr.  Rogers  some  years  ago  in  London, 
and  who  was  now  on  his  way  to  his  native  place, 
Cooperstown.  He  was  kind  enough  to  point  out  the 
scenes  of  the  unfortunate  Andre's  execution,  and  the 
treacherous  Arnold's  escape,  and  to  communicate  seve- 
ral interesting  particulars  relative  to  that  transaction, 
as  well  as  to  other  events  during  the  war.  I  was  sorry 
that  my  disembarkation  at  West  Point  deprived  me  of 
the  advantage  of  so  able  and  agreeable  a  commentator 
on  the  scenery  of  the  Hudson.* 

On  landing  at  West  Point,  and  climbing  the  hill  on 
the  summit  of  which  stands  the  hotel,  (which,  by  the 
by,  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  comfortable  I  have  yet 
seen,)  I  was  astonished  and  delighted  at  the  varied 
beauty  of  the  scenery.  The  promontory  projects  into 
the  Huson,  whose  ample  stream  is  perpetually  crowded 
with  vessels  of  every  description.  The  surrounding 
mountains  are  wooded  to  their  very  tops.  The  small 
plain  is  covered  with  the  white  tents  of  the  cadets, 
who  are  in  camp  during  this  season  ;  and  above  it  rise 
the  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam,  built  upon  rocks  six  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  well  calculated,  from  its  command- 
ing position,  and  association  with  the  history  of  the 
war,  to  inspire  the  young  soldiers  with  an  enthusiastic 
love  for  the  glorious  and  beautiful  scene  of  their  fath- 
ers' triumphs. 

It  is  well  known  that  this  is  the  nursery  for  the 
American  army.  The  cadets  are  about  two-hundred 
in  number  ;  and  from  them  the  troops  are  chiefly,  if 
not  altogether  officered.     In  the  winter  they  live  in 

*  Let  not  the  reader  imagine  that  I  underrate  the  beauty  of  the  scenery 
through  which  this  noble  river  flows.  It  deserves  all  the  praises  bestowed 
upon  it  by  other  travellers  ;  but  the  rain  and  mist  which  enveloped  it 
during  this  excursion  prevented  me  from  enjoying  its  charms  ;  and  though 
I  ascended  this  river  a  dozen  times  at  a  latter  date,  I  have  thought  it  bet- 
ter to  leave  this  part  of  my  journal  as  it  originally  stood. 


60  MILITARY    COLLEGE. 

the  barracks,  and  pursue  the  theoretic  branches  of 
their  professional  studies ;  while  durino^  the  summer 
months,  they  bivouac  in  tents,  each  of  which  contains 
three  cadets,  and  they  spend  all  their  time  in  various 
military  manoeuvres.  The  discipline  seems  strict,  and 
the  regulations  for  maintaining  order  and  temperance 
very  severe.  They  seem  to  have  no  punishment  but 
dismissal. 

To  the  cursory  observation  of  an  unprofessional 
traveller,  several  branches  of  the  system  appear  capa- 
ble of  improvement.  In  the  first  place,  each  cadet  must 
remain  his  full  term  of  four  years  (generally  from  six- 
teen to  twenty),  whether  he  be  quick  and  industrious, 
or  dull  and  idle,  the  only  difference  being  that  on  final 
examination  the  latter  will  be  dismissed  as  incompe- 
tent, while  the  former  will  probably  obtain  the  first 
vacant  commission.  It  would  certainly  appear,  that 
the  mode  adopted  by  the  British  Naval  College  at 
Portsmouth,  of  allowing  a  young  man  to  shorten  his 
time  and  distinguish  his  character,  by  industry  and 
ability,  is  preferable.  In  the  second  place,  it  is  difiicult 
to  see  why  four  or  five  of  the  months  should  be  spent 
altogether  in  drills  and  manoeuvres  to  the  total  exclu- 
sion of  all  the  studies  pursued  in  the  winter. 

I  spoke  to  two  or  three  of  the  cadets,  and  they  in- 
formed me,  that  during  the  encampment  they  seldom 
opened  a  book  ;  and  from  what  I  observed  of  the  list- 
less languid  sauntering  of  the  whole  mass  after  drill 
and  parade,  I  do  not  question  the  accuracy  of  their 
statement.  Doubtless  the  manual  and  practical  exer- 
cises are  very  fatiguing,  but  it  is  very  certain  that 
such  a  quantum  of  bodily  labour  as  totally  incapaci- 
tates a  young  man's  mind  for  moderate  study,  must  be 
fatal  to  the  professional  advancement  of  an  officer, 
even  if  it  be  requisite  for  the  mechanical  proficiency 
of  a  private,  which  I  very  much  doubt.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  running,  leaping,  playing  at  quoits,  cricket, 
nor  any  other  amusement ;  and  altogether  I  could  not 
help  remarking  the  want  of  that  blithe,  frank,  joyous 
expression  of  countenance  that  is  observable  in  youths 
of  the  same  age  in  England.     They  were  generally 


ALBANY.  61 

grave  and  reserved  ;  and  I  certainly  did  not  see  in  the 
whole  corps  one  single  face  or  figure  that  could  be 
pronounced  strikingly  handsome ;  and  this  is  the 
more  remarkable,  as  their  mothers  and  sisters  are 
certainly  in  as  high  an  average  of  beauty  as  any 
women  in  the  world.  I  should  add,  however,  that  I 
gathered  my  information  respecting  this  establishment 
from  conversation  with  some  of  the  cadets,  and  not 
from  the  officers  or  authorities,  whose  acquaintance  I 
had  not  time  nor  opportunity  to  cultivate. 

After  leaving  West  Point,  we  pursued  our  way  in 
the  steam  boat  up  the  Hudson  as  far  as  Albany,  passing 
through  beautiful  scenery,  leaving  on  our  right  Hyde 
Park,  and  a  number  of  prettily  wooded  villas,  and  on. 
our  left  the  Catskill  mountains.  Albany,  the  capital 
of  New  York,  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the 
United  States ;  I  beheve  the  fi.rst  in  the  upper  states, 
having  been  settled  in  1612.  It  is  a  busy  and  prospe- 
rous town  ;  and  as  it  forms  the  termination  both  of 
the  Erie  canal,  and  of  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  rail- 
road, is  a  place  of  much  commercial  activity.  ,,  The 
population  is  estimated  at  twenty-eight  thousand,  and 
this  city  may  be  pronounced  the  greatest  emporium  of 
internal  trade  in  the  United  States.  Estimates  taken 
last  year  (1833)  and  based  upon  accurate  calculations, 
compute  the  value  of  goods  brought  into  it  through  the 
Erie  and  Champlain  canals,  at  two  millions  and  a  half 
sterling. 

The  capitol,  and  several  other  public  buildings 
appeared  worthy  of  notice,  but  1  had  not  time  to  visit 
them  on  this  occasion.  The  principal  proprietor  in 
the  neighbourhood  is  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer, 
better  known  by  the  appellation  of  the  Patroon,  who  is 
mentioned  in  the  books  of  all  American  travellers  as 
one  of  the  largest  landholders  in  the  Slates.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  being  introduced  to  this  respectable  and 
venerable  old  gentleman  at  Saratoga. 

After  leaving  Albany  we  proceeded  by  the  railroad 
through  Schenectady  to  Saratoga.  This  line  of  rail- 
road is  admirably  contrived  to  answer  all  the  purposes 
of  speed,  safety,  and  economy ;  although  the  first  of 


62  WATERING    PLACES. 

these  qualities,  it  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the 
Liverpool  and  Manchester  line.  The  soil  appears 
priticipally  sand  ;  and,  except  in  one  or  two  instances, 
I  should  not  conceive  the  formation  of  the  railroad  to 
have  been  attended  with  much  difficulty. 

AVe  were  rather  unfortunate  as  to  the  time  at  which 
we  visited  Saratoo^a — the  Cheltenham  of  the  States,  as 
most  of  the  parties  whom  we  had  calculated  upon 
meeting  there,  had  left  it  the  day  before  we  arrived, 
and  there  were  few  "  fashionables"  remaining.  In  fact, 
it  is  the  fashion  to  make  the  round  of  all  the  watering- 
places,  (Rockaway,  Saratoga,  Ballston,  Lebanon,)  in 
reo-ular  succession,  and  an  unfortunate  traveller  who 
happens,  as  we  did,  to  be  rather  late  in  starting,  may 
follow  the  gay  route,  and  never  catch  its  most  agree- 
able parties. 

The  Congress  Spring  at  Saratoga  is,  I  believe,  one 
of  the  most  medicinal  natural  waters  in  tiie  world ; 
and  the  cures  that  it  is  said  to  have  performed  are 
numerous  and  extraordinary.  It  is  delightfully  cool, 
and  not  unpleasant  to  the  taste ;  but  if  taken  v/ithout  due 
care  and  attention,  it  produces  violent  headache,  and 
sometimes  more  serious  consequences. 

After  spending  a  day  or  two  at  Saratoga,  I  returned 
to  Ballston,  which  is  a  very  pleasant  viUage  and  also 
a  place  of  great  resort,  from  the  excellence  of  its  min- 
eral springs,  which  are  supposed  to  possess  more  tonic 
qualities  than  those  at  Saratoga  ;  from  thence  '^^r  Sche- 
nectady to  the  Trenton  Falls,  through  a  cultivated  aiiu 
well-wooded  country,  and  passing  some  of  the  exten- 
sive property  of  Sir  Frederic  Johnston.  I  had  heard 
so  much  of  these  Falls,  that  I  own  I  was  much  disap- 
pointed in  visiting  them.  The  scenery  of  this  country 
is  upon  so  magnificent  a  scale,  and  its  rivers  so  vast 
and  deep,  that  I  expected  to  see  torrents  and  waterfalls, 
such  as  I  had  never  before  beheld.  The  scenery  is 
certainly  very  pretty;  the  banks  are  richly  clothed 
with  wood,  and  the  fall  of  water  is  considerable  enough 
to  arrest  and  please  the  eye  ;  but  unless  my  memory 
very  much  deceives  me,  these  Falls  would  gain  noth- 
ing by  comparison  with  the  Falls  of  Fyers,  Bruar,  and 


PRISON    AT    AUBURN.  63 


Others  that  I  have  seen  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland 
(if  the  latter  are  visited  after  a  rainy  season).  The 
limestone  rocks  over  which  they  run  are  certainly  bold 
and  precipitous,  but  the  eye  (at  least  the  eye  of  a 
Scotchman)  misses  sadly  the  brown  heather,  the 
frowning  precipice  with  its  weeping  birch  and  scathed 
and  gnarled  fir,  and,  above  all,  the  blue  and  distant 
mountain  ridge  that  completes  and  perfects  the  pic- 
ture. 

After  being  jolted  some  fifteen  miles  over  an  execra- 
ble road  in  an  '•  extra-exclusive,"*  we  arrived  at  Utica, 
whence  we  proceeded  to  Auburn  ; — a  village  the  name 
of  which  is  interesting  to  all  Europe  from  its  being 
the  seat  of  the  rsew  York  State's  prison.  This  cele- 
brated establishment  is  now  so  familiar  to  every  Euro- 
pean reader,  that  a  detailed  description  of  it  is  un- 
necessary, and  I  shall  confine  myself  to  such  observa- 
tions as  naturally  suggested  themselves  to  me  on  visit- 
ing it. 

The  mass- of  building  is  solid  and  imposing,  and  al- 
together well  suited  to  the  gloomy  character  of  the 
place  ;  biu  its  effect  is  totally  destroyed  by  an  absurd 
nondescript  set  of  pinnacles  on  the  top  of  the  building, 
in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  representation  of  a  sentinel 
witli  a  musket.  Whether  he  is  meant  as  a  scare-crow 
to  the  prisoners  or  not,  I  cannot  tell  ;  but  I  am  sure 
that  he  and  the  litter  of  pinnacles  around  him  are  a 


grievom^annoyance  to  the  eye. 


As  tar  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  the  published  accounts 
of  the  discipline  and  arrangements  are  substantially 
correct.  I  walked  through  all  the  shops  in  which  the 
prisoners,  were  at  labour  ;  and  I  must  say  that  so  mis- 
erable, jaded,  desponding  a  row  of  faces  I  never  be- 
held— such  sunken  lacklustre  eyes  I  never  encoun- 
tered. I  made  careful  observation  on  all  that  I  saw, 
and  cannot  help  praising  the  cleanliness,  order,  and 
regularity  of  the  whole  arrangement ;  but  my  visit  did 
not  incline  me  to  believe,  that  the  moral  object  which 
this   institution   has   in  view,   was  attained  or  even 

*  A  private  carriage  hired  by  an  individual  or  a  party  is  here  so  called. 


64  SCOTTISH    AGRICULTURIST. 

approached.  However,  as  my  mind  had  been  rarely- 
directed  to  this  subject,  and  was  not  familiar  with  its 
details,  I  beg  to  offer  the  above  remarks  as  those  of  a 
passing  observer,  and  to  disclaim  all  pretension  to  a 
critical  opinion  regarding  it. 

From  Auburn  we  took  saddle-horses,  and  rode  to 
Geneva,  a  beautifully  situated  town  on  Seneca  lake  ; 
thence  througli  a  country  bearing^  marks  of  improved 
cultivation  and  prosperous  condition,  to  Canandaigua, 
passing  over  the  fine  lake  Cayuga  on  a  wooden  bridge, 
the  length  of  which  I  conceive  to  be  nearly  a  mile  and 
a  half,  built  on  piles.  Nothing  can  be  more  neat  and 
comfortable-lookinof  than  the  villao^e  of  Canandais^ua ; 
it  is  composed  of  one  long  street,  which  is,  indeed,  a 
series  of  villas,  each  house  being  shaded  by  walnut, 
hickory,  and  other  forest  trees. 

Having  letters  of  introduction  to  Mr.  G ,  an 

eminent  Scottish  agriculturist,  and  my  companion  being 
acquainted  with  Mr.  D ,  another  Scottish  gentle- 
man settled  here,  we  found  ourselves  soon  in  the  en- 
joyment of  every  comfort  that  the  most  kind  and  con- 
siderate hospitality  could  offer.     Mr.  G was  one 

of  the  earliest  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
by  unwearied  perseverence,  consummate  ability,  and 
unsullied  integrity,  has  raised  himself  in  this  district 
to  an  eminence,  both  in  fortune  and  character,  that 
may  be  pronounced  enviable.  Indeed  it  was  with 
mingled  feelings  of  astonishment,  pleasure,  and  nation- 
al pride,  that  I  saw  this  excellent  man  doing  the  hon- 
ours of  his  table,  in  a  house  that  might  vie  in  comfort 
and  luxury  with  any  of  the  villas  near  London,  and 
looking  from  its  roof  over  a  vast  plain  of  corn,  fruit- 
trees,  and  gardens,  on  which,  when  he  first  came  to 
the  country,  the  impervious  forest  grew,  the  red  man 
and  the  deer  wandered. 

We  spent  two  or  three  days  here  most  agreeably, 
and  I  derived  much  useful  information  from  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  G respecting  the  method  pursued  in 

surveying,  clearing,  selling,  and  otherwise  managing 
the  tracts  of  land  disposed  of  in  this  country. 

From  Canandaigua,  which  I  left  with  much  reluc- 


FERTILE    MEADOWS.  65 

tance,  we  passed  through  a  thriving  and  well  cultiva- 
ted country  to  Geneseo,  where  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
being  introduced  to  Mr.  W ,  the  owner  of  a  mag- 
nificent estate  in  tiie  Genesee  flats.  Fortune  seemed 
not  yet  wearied  of  being  bountiful,  and  allowed  us  to  see 
this  most  beautiful  valley,  with  tlie  advantage  of  residing 
in  one  of  the  most  hospitable  and  agreeable  houses  that 

leverentered.  Mr.W 's  son  accompanied  us  through 

his  extensive  farms,  which  are  formed  to  delight  equally 
the  eye  of  a  Poussin  or  a  Sir  J.  Sinclair.  The  broad  mea- 
dowsofan  alluvial  soil,  covered  with  the  richest  g^rasses, 
as  watered  by  the  winding  Genesee,  are  studded  with 
trees,  beautifully  and  negligently  grouped,  among  which 
are  scattered  laro^e  herds  of  cattle  of  various  breeds  and 
kinds,  both  English  and  American ;  the  meadows  are  here 
and  there  interspersed  with  fields  of  Indian  corn  and 
wheat,  while  the  hills  that  rise  on  each  side  are  crowned 
with  timber,  exceptingspotswhere  the  encroaching  hand 
of  improvement  has  begun  to  girdle  some  of  the  tall 
sons  of  the  forest,  whose  scathed  tops  and  black  bare 
arms,  betokening  their  approaching  fall,  give  a  pic- 
turesque variety  to  the  scene. 

Yet  this  scene,  extraordinary  and  interesting  as  td 
was,  possessed  less  intei;est  to  a  contemplative  an 
musing  mind,  than  the  venerable  and  excellent  gen- 
tleman who  had  almost  created  it ;  for  it  was  now 

forty-four  years  since  Mr.  W came  as  the  the  first 

settler  to  this  spot,  with  an  axe  on  his  shoulder,  and 
slept  the  first  night  under  a  tree.  After  this,  he  lodg- 
ed in  a  log-house  ;  subsequently  in  a  cottage  ;  and  he 
is  now  the  universally  esteemed  and  respected  posses- 
sor of  a  demesne,  which  many  of  the  proudest  nobility 
of  Europe  might  look  upon  with  envy,  where  he 
exercises  the  rites  of  hospitality,  in  the  midst  of  his 
amiable  family,  with  a  sincerity  and  kindness  that  I 
shall  not  easily  forget. 

As  I  wished  to  see  the  country,  and  to  travel  more 
at  leisure  than  the  tyrannical  customs  of  a  stage-coach 
permit,  I  bought  here  a  horse  and  light  waggon,  in 
which  I  proceeded  to  Lockport,  a  flourishing  village 
on  the  canal,  about  sixty  miles  from  Geneseo,  and 


06  FALLS    OF    NIAGARA. 

thence  on  the  following  morning"  to  the  Falls  of  Niag- 
ara. 

These  falls  have  been  so  frequently  and  so  well 
described  by  numerous  travellers,  that  any  description 
of  them  is  superfluous  in  regard  to  others,  and  in 
reofard  to  myself  it  seems  equally  unnecessary  to  record 
upon  paper  that  which  is  graven  on  my  memory,  in 
characters  more  durable  than  any  that  the  hand  of 
man  can  trace.  Still  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  faithful 
transcript  of  the  scenes  through  which  I  have  passed, 
or  of  the  sensations  excited  by  them,  and  to  omit  all 
mention  of  the  most  sublime  natural  spectacle  on 
which  the  eye  of  man  ever  dwelt. 

The  river  Niagara  flows  from  Lake  Erie  to  Ontario^ 
and  receives  from  the  former  the  waters  of  the  St. 
Clair,  the  Huron,  Michigan,  and  other  upper  lakes. 
After  leaving  lake  Erie,  the  Niagara  expands  to  the 
width  of  about  six  miles,  heaving  in  its  channel  two 
large  islands  called  Grand,  and  Navy  Island  ;  on  the 
former  of  these  the  Jewish  city  of  Ararat  was  to  have 
been  built,  according  to  the  project  of  a  Major  Noah, 
of  New  York,  in  1825.  Below  these  islands  the  width 
of  the  river  is  about  two  miles,  and  soon  after  leaving 
them  the  stream  begins  to  descend  with  great  rapidity, 
its  declination  being  above  fifty  feet  in  less  than  a  mile. 
In  the  midst  of  the  white  and  foaming  rapids,  formed 
by  the  descent,  is  Goat  Island,  on  the  western  or  Cana- 
dian side  of  which  is  the  Horse-shoe  Fall  ;  on  the 
eastern,  the  American  Fall ;  the  former  of  which,  being 
the  principal  channel  of  the  river,  is  about  one-third 
of  a  mile  broad,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
feet  high  ;  the  -latter  a  few  feet  higher,  but  of  much 
smaller  extent. 

On  arriving  at  the  Grent  Horse-shoe  Fall,  descrip- 
tion must  stop  short ;  and  to  those  who  have  not  seen 
it,  imagination  must  be  left  to  finish  a  picture  of  which 
words  can  orive  but  a  feeble  outline.  How  can  Ian- 
guage  convey  impressions  too  tremendous  and  sublime 
even  for  the  mind  to  bear?  How  can  it  presume  to 
embody  a  scene  on  which  the  eye  could  not  gaze,  to 
which  the  ear  could  not  listen,  and  which  the  oppres- 


FALLS    OF    NIAGARA.  67 

sed  and  overwhelmed  power  of  reflection  could  not 
contemplate  without  feelings  of  awe,  wonder,  and 
delightj  so  intense  as  to  amount  almost  to  pain  ! 

Who  doth  not  feel,  until  his  failing  sight 
Faints  into  dimness  with  its  own  delight, 
His  changing  cheek,  his  sinking  heart  confess 
The  might — the  majesty  ? 

Bride  of  Abydos. 

These  lines  beautiful  as  they  are,  and  beautifully  ap- 
plied by  the  poet,  are  no  less  applicable  to  the  glorious 
Niagara.  He  who  admires  and  loves  the  softer  fea- 
tures in  Nature's  countenance  should  cross  in  the 
ferry-boat  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  falls  : 
there,  the  eye  can  take  them  both  in  at  once,  the  ear 
can  bear  the  hoarse  and  deep  voice  of  the  waters  sof- 
tened by  distance.  The  clouds  of  foam  that  rise  from 
the  boiling  caldron  spring  upward  in  snowy  wreaths 
of  vapour,  and  the  rocks  and  woods  around  are  tinged 
with  the  ever-changing  rays  of  the  rainbow.  And  he 
who  admires  Nature  in  her  more  stern  and  magnificent 
array,  should  stand  upon  the  Table  Rock.  There 
'•  Prsesentiorem  conspiciet  Deum," — there  the  tremen- 
dous roar  will  stun  his  ear — the  mingled  masses  of 
waters  and  of  foam  will  bewilder  his  eye — his  mind 
will  be  overwhelmed  by  contending  leelings  of  eleva- 
tion and  depression — and,  unless  he  be  colder  than 
the  very  rock  on  which  he  stands,  the  thoughts  that 
press  upon  his  brain,  will  be  high,  pure,  and  enthusi- 
astic, and  his  hot  brow  will  welcome  the  cool  light 
spray  that  is  ever  falling  around  that  holy  spot. 

Let  him  whose  spirit^delights  in  the  awful  sublimity 
of  nature,  who  loves  the  war  of  elements,  and  the 
secret  and  mysterious  paths  of  darkness,  descend  from 
the  Table  Rock,  and  undeterred  by  the  wind  and 
spray  that  will  appear  to  oppose  his  entrance, — let  him 
walk  along  a  narrow  ledge  that  extends  about  one 
hundred  feet  under  the  great  Horse-shoe  Fall,  and 
there,  with  his  back  to  the  huge  beetling  rock,  above 
him  the  canopy  of  rushing  waters,  before  him  and  all 
around  a  tempestuous  whirlwind  of  foam,  and  beneath 


68  FALLS    OF    NIAGARA. 

his  feet  a  raging  and  boiling  iinfathomed  abyss, — let 
let  him  meditate  on  the  Httleness  of  man,  and  on  the 
attributes  of  Him  who  metes  out  tiiose  waters  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand  ! 

There  is  no  object  in  nature,  in  which  the  reflecting, 
the  poetic,  or  the  pious  mind,  will  not  trace  the  hand 
of  its  Divine  Author,  as  well  as  in  the  "  wee  modest 
crimson-tipped"  daisy,  or  the  love-torch  of  the  glow- 
worm, as  in  the  ocean,  or  the  starlit  sky  ;  but  here  the 
dullest  spirit  must  be  stirred,  the  most  thoughtless  and 
careless,  be  arrested,  the  most  haughty  and  daring 
humbled  ;  he  feels  like  Moses,  that  "he  should  put  the 
shoes  from  off  his  feet;"  he  feels  as  if  admitted  to  a 
secret  abode  and  dwelling-place  of  the  Deity,  who 
speaks  to  him  there  in  a  terrible  whisper. 

When  I  followed  the  guide  into  this  stormy  recess, 
there  was  a  strong  breeze  of  wind,  and  the  spray  was 
was  dashed  against  our  faces  with  such  unusual  vio- 
lence as  to  render  it  almost  impossible,  upon  first  en- 
tering, to,  keep  the  eyes  open,  or  to  respire  :  I  was  so 
excited,  that  I  feel  some  degree  of  shame  in  owning 
I  neglected  the  usual  paraphernalia  of  oilskin  coat, 
trousers,  &c.  and  throwing  off  my  walking-jacket,  I 
braved  the  water-monarch  in  his  den  with  no  other 
armour  than  a  stout  broad-brimmed  hat.  However, 
by  slouching  this  civic  helmet  over  my  eyes  and  hold- 
ing my  breath,  I  followed  the  guide  without  difiiculty 
to  the  interior  of  the  rocky  chambers  where  the  spray 
and  whirlwind  are  less  violent,  and  where  the  laculties 
of  seeing,  hearing,  and  feeling  are  restored. 

Upon  arriving  here  I  became  aware  that  two  young 
American  travellers  v/hom  I  had  met  in  my  rambles, 
and  who,  accoutred  in  a  panoply  of  oilskin,  had  accom- 
panied me  to  the  entrance  below  the  Falls,  were  miss- 
ing. Upon  informing  the  guide  of  the  circumstance, 
he  was  alarmed  for  their  safety,  and  returned  to  see 
what  had  become  of  them.  Thus  left  alone,  I  pursued 
the  little  path  or  ledge  to  its  farthest  extremity,  at  a 
point  called  Termination  Rock:  and,  reseating  myself, 
regardless  of  the  "  peltinor  of  the  pitiless  storm,"  I  re- 
velled in  the  glorious  and  terrible  scene  before  me 


FALLS    OP    NIAGARA.  69 

To  describe  it  further  I  will  not  attempt,  neither  can 
I  relate  the  thoughts  that  crowded  upon  me  during  the 
few  minutes  that  I  spent  in  that  awful  spot  —  they 
were  too  mingled  and  confused  to  be  defined,  or  inter- 
esting to  any  one.  The  faculties  of  reason  were  ab- 
sorbed, and  the  powers  of  imagination  and  memory 
held  for  a  time  divided  empire.  The  Atlantic  and  the 
thousand  miles  that  divided  me  from  home  were  for- 
gotten, and  well-know  forms  and  beloved  images  were 
mingled  in  my  wild  waking  dream  with  the  thunder- 
ing rush  of  waters. 

I  know  not  how  long  the  reverie  continued,  from 
which  I  was  roused  by  the  return  of  the  guide,  who 
informed  me  that  he  could  not  persuade  the  other  two 
travellers  to  enter  the  cavern.  I  went  back  and  used 
every  argument  to  induce  them  to  prosecute  the  un- 
dertaking in  which  there  was  no  real  danger,  but  in 
vain  :  in  their  first  attempt  one  had  lost  his  balance, 
and  the  other  his  breath,  and  they  went  away,  as  the 
old  Greek  tragedians  say,  a-r^axToj'.* 

Many  travellers,  after  leaving  Niagara,  have  said 
that,  although  deeply  impressed  with  its  unrivalled 
magnificence,  they  felt  no  anxiety  to  revisit  it.  Such 
is  not  the  case  with  me,  and  if  ever  Fate  permit  me 
again  to  stand  upon  the  Table  Rock,  the  charms  of 
novelty  and  surprise  may  be  wanting,  but  I  shall 

"  Hail  in  each  crag  a  friend's  familiar  face, 
And  clasp  the  torrent  in  my  mind's  embrace," 

*  '"Unsuccessful." 


70  TORONTO. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

Embark  on  Lake  Ontario, — Toronto. — Reception  by  the  Governor. — 
Lake  of  The  Thousand  Islands. — The  Cholera  at  MontrCiil  and  due- 
bee. — Journey  towards  Lake  Champlain. — Gloomy  Road, — Burlinglon. 
— Students  in  the  College  of  that  Town.— An  Obliging  Landlord. — 
Road  to  Alontpelier. — The  Camel's  Hump. — American  Liberality. — 
Accommodations  at  the  Taverns. — John  Bull  a  bad  Traveller. — Han- 
over.— Concord. — A  Criminal  Trial  in  this  Town. — Amoskeag. — Ex- 
change of  Steeds. — Lowell — its  Lucrative  Trade. — Approach  to  Bos- 
ton.— Arrival  in  that  Town. — The  Tremont  House. — Mr.  Webster. — 
Tone  of  Conversation  in  Boston. 

On  leaving-  the  Falls,  I  drove  my  waggon  and  horse 
down  to  Niagara  town,  and  embarked  with  them  in 
the  Great  Britain ;  a  magnificent  steamboat,  which 
plies  on  Lake  Ontario.  We  arrived  in  the  evening  at 
Toronto,  late  York,  the  capital  of  Upper  Canada.  This 
is  a  flourishing  town,  though  it  has  been  severely  visi- 
ted by  the  cholera,  it  contains  about  ten  thousand  in- 
habitants ;  but  as  the  steam-boat  only  stayed  two  hours, 
and  during  those  it  was  dark,  I  cannot  [speak  much 
either  of  its  defects  or  beauties. 

I  spent  an  hour  in  conversation  with  the  governor 

Sir  J.  C ,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction, 

and  from  whom  I  met  with  a  most  polite  reception 
notwithstanding  the  unseasonable  hour  (9.  p.  m.)  at 
which  I  was  obhged  to  intrude  upon  his  hospitality, 
I  regretted  much  that  I  was  unable  to  avail  myself,  for 
a  longer  period,  of  the  opportunity  of  deriving  infor- 
mation respecting  Upper  Canada  from  a  distinguished 
officer  so  able  and  willing  to  give  it. 

From  Toronto  we  sailed  down  Lake  Ontario  passing 
Kingston  before  daylight,  to  Oswego,  a  thriving  town 
on  the  American  coast ;  thence  to  Ogdcnsburgh,  pas- 
sing the  opening  iuto  the  St.  Lawrence,  through  the 
Lake  of  the  Thousand  Islands.  With  the  scenery  of 
the  latter  I  was,  I  confess,  somewhat  disappointed; 
perhaps  my  expectation  had  been  raised  too  high  by 


LAKE    OF    THE    THOUSAND    ISLANDS.  71 

the  descriptions  of  travellers,  and  by  the  splendour  of 
the  name.  The  islands  are  indeed  almost  innumera- 
ble, and  covered  with  wood  ;  but  there  is  little  variety, 
scarcely  any  rising  ground,  even  on  the  banks,  and  no 
distant  outline  whatever.  The  water  was  beautifully 
smooth  and  clear — the  autumnal  tints  had  begun  to 
shed  their  melancholy  (-harm  over  the  foilage,  and  the 
scene  was  agreeable  and  pretty ;  but  it  undoubtedly 
wants  many  of  the  elements  of  beauty  that  delight  the 
eye,  in  the  v/ooded  islets  that  gem  the  bosom  of  Loch 
Lomond. 

On  arriving  at  Ogdensburgh,  my  fellow-traveller  and 
I  determined  not  to  prosecute  our  journey  to  Montreal 
and  Q,uebec,  as  the  cholera  was  making  serious  rava- 
ges in  those  cities ;  and  independently  of  the  risk  in- 
curred of  being  attacked  by  that  terrible  disease,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  higher  classes  of  society  had  retired  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  neighbouring  country  ;  we  accor- 
dingly du'ected  the  flight  of  Hornet  (for  so  was  my  faith- 
ful steed  called)  towards  Lake  Champlain  ;  and  after  a 
drive  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  through  the  most 
wild  and  uncultivated  countiy  that  I  have  ever  seen, 
we  came  to  Plattsbursfh. 

In  the  course  of  this  long  journey  the  villages  were 
''  like  angel  visits,  few  and  far  between  ;"  the  roads  ex- 
ecrable, being  made  upon  the  anti-mac-adam  corduroy 
system.  The  miles  of  gloomy  silent  forest,  apparently 
interminable — the  dull  monotony  of  this  bosky  desert 
— its  loneliness  unrelieved  by  the  appearance' of  any 
living  creature,  save  now  and  then  the  shrill  cry  of  the 
woodpecker,  and  the  hissing  whisper  of  the  catydid, 
produced  a  corresponding  effect  upon  our  spirits.  A 
group  of  shepherds,  collected  round  a  wolf,  which  they 
had  just  slain  as  an  expiatory  sacrifice  to  appease  the 
manes  of  eight  sheep,  devoured  by  him  the  precedino- 
night,  formed  the  only  banquet  in  which  our  appetite 
for  interest  or  incident  was  permitted  to  indulge.  We 
heard  indeed  of  bears,  deer,  (fcc.  but  saw  none. 

I  do  not  know  from  what  principle  of  our  nature  it 
proceeds,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  true,  that  the  mind  feels 
more  oppressed  by  the  unvarying  loneliness  and  silence 


72  BURLINGTON. 

of  a  vast  American  forest,  than  by  the  barren  desolation 
of  the  wildest  moor  or  plain  ;  nay,  even  more  thaii  by 
the  waste  of  waters  in  a  calm  at  sea.*  Perhaps  it  may 
be  that  the  spirit  is  more  circLimscribed  and  confined  in 
the  former  instance,  and  feels  the  want  of  that  space  and 
extent  which,  however  desolate  it  may  be,  it  can  roam 
over,  and  people  with  the  undefined  and  fantastic  ob- 
jects of  its  own  creation.  Leaving  the  solution  of  the 
problem  to  more  speculative  heads,  we  proceed  to  Lake 
Champlain,  which  we  crossed  in  a  steamer,  and  landed 
at  Burlington,  a  village  on  the  south  eastern  side  of  the 
lake. 

Of  all  the  places  which  I  have  yet  visited,  this  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  agreeable.  The  townf 
rises  in  a  gentle  slope  from  the  bay,  which  is  a  semi- 
circular curve,  the  extremities  of  which  are  fringed 
with  wood  to  the  margin  of  the  water.  The  ground 
about  it  is  undulating  and  varied,  the  houses  neat, 
and  for  the  most  part  shaded  by  hickory  and  other 
trees,  and  the  view  of  the  lake  with  its  promontories 
and  woody  islands,  bounded  by  a  distant  range  of  blue 
mountains,  is  as  lovely  as  the  eye  of  a  Claude  or  a 
Poussin  could  desire. 

Burlington  contains  about  three  thousand  inhabi- 
tants ;  three  churches  —  one  Episcopalian,  one  Pres- 
byterian, and  one  Unitarian  ;  and  a  college,  situated 
on  an  eminence  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
town,  attended  by  about  a  hundred  students.  The 
vacation  was  just  over,  and  some  repairs  of  the  build- 
ing were  scarcely  complete,  so  I  had  little  opportunity 
of  talking  with  any  of  the  students,  but  was  informed 
that  amonor  them  were  three  Germans  come  thither 


*  Of  course  I  allude  to  an  individual  travelling  without  a  definite  object; 
to  an  Indian  following  through  the  forest  the  trail  of  an  enemy,  or  to  a 
hunter  following  that  of  a  bear  or  deer,  these  remarks  would  be  totally  in- 
applicable. 

f  Once  for  all  it  is  necessary  to  mention,  that  in  (this  part  at  least  of 
the  United  States,  the  Americans  use  the  word  "  low7i'  to  express  what 
is  called  in  England  a  parish, — and  places  such  as  in  England  would  be 
called  towns,  are  by  them  denominated  either  villages  or  cities,  under  the 
former  of  these  appellations  are  included  many  places  containing  three, 
four,  and  five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  sometimes,  I  believe,  more.        ^ 


COLLEGE    STUDENTS.  73 

from  Gottingen  to  study  the  English  language  !  Is 
there  nothing  in  this  to  rouse  the  attention  of  Oxford, 
Cambridge,  London,  Edinburgh,  &c.  that  three  young 
men,  desirous  of  learning  English,  should  find  it  ex- 
pedient (from  reasons  of  economy  or  other  facilities) 
to  travel  between  four  and  five  thousand  miles  to  a 
remote  tbwn  in  the  interior  of  North  America  ? 

There  are  three  good  hotels ;  that  at  which  I  stayed, 

kept  by  Mr.  T ,  is  very  well  conducted,  and  he 

himself  is  a  most  intelligent,  active,  and  obligino-  land- 
lord ;  he  is  a  proprietor  of  extensive  glass-works  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  village.  He  drove  me  down  in  his 
carriage  to  see  them,  and  I  was  surprised  at  the  ex- 
cellence and  cheapness  of  the  material.  The  work  is 
carried  on  upon  principles  differing  considerably  from 
those  observed  at  the  glass- manufactories  in  Britain, 
and  is  altogether  well  worthy  of  attention.  The  clay 
used  in  making  the  pots  is  imported  from  Hamburghj 
none  having  yet  been  found  in  America  capable  of 
resisting  for  any  length  of  time  the  intense  heat  of  the 
furnaces. 

From  Burlington  (my  fellow-traveller  having  pre- 
ceded me  in  the  stage  to  Boston)  T  drove  through  a 
very  pretty  and  picturesque  country  to  Montpelier,  the 
capital  village  of  Vermont.  The  road  formed  by  the 
course  of  the  Union  river  (pronounced  there  invaria- 
bly Onion),  passes  down  the  valley:  the  lower  meadows 
are  rich  and  fertile,  and  divided  into  neat  and  thriving 
farms  ;  the  sides  of  the  valley  are  clothed  with  varied 
copse  and  forest  wood,  and  over  the  western  side  towers 
a  lofty  mountain,  called  the  Camel's  Hump,  although 
(as  Shakespeare  says)  the  "  shepherds  gives  it  a  grosser 
name"  which  answers  very  well  in  rhyme  to  the  one 
here  given,  but  is  not  quite  so  euphonious  to  ears  po- 
lite.    Its  height  is,  I  believe,  about  five  thousand  feet. 

At  Montpelier,  I  found  that  hilly,  sandy,  execrable 
roads,  together  with  the  heat  of  the  weather,  made  the 
journey  rather  fatiguing  for  my  steed  ;  and  I  chose 
him  a  helpmate  in  the  shape  of  a  little  Indian  pony, 
which  I  found  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  C ,  land- 
lord of  the  Pavilion  Hotel. 


74  AMERICAN    LIBERALITY. 

Here  I  cannot  help  making  a  few  remarks  upon  a 
subject  on  which  I  think  the  general  opinion  in  Britain 
is  erroneous.  We  are  taught  to  believe  that  the  Yan- 
key  is  invariably  a  suspicious  and  avaricious  man  in 
his  money  transactions,  and  incapable  of  those  feehngs 
and  acts  of  liberality  for  which  the  British  character 
is  distinguished.  I  shall  mention  two  instances  that 
occurred  to  me  in  the  space  of  four  days,  which  showed 
a  very  diiferent  character  from  that  of  which  the 
New  Englanclers  are  accused.  The  change  in  the 
route  which  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  at  Montreal 
induced  me  to  adopt,  had  prevented  me  from  drawing 
any  of  the  money  which  I  intended  to  get  in  that  city, 
and  my  finances  were,  therefore,  so  much  reduced  as 
to  leave  me  only  just  sufficient  to  take  me  as  far  as 
Boston.     Upon   my  mentioning  the   circumstance  to 

Mr.  T ,  my  landlord  at  Burlington,  as  my  reason 

for  not  making  some  trifling  purchases  in  that  town, 
he  at  once  advanced  me  fifty  dollars,  by  indorsing  my 
draft  on  New  York,  and  presenting  the  bill  to  the  Bur- 
lington Bank. 

The  second  instance  which  I  shall  quote  was  in  the 

purchase  of  the  Indian  pony.     Mr.  C of  Montpe- 

iier,  understanding  that  it  would  be  inconvenient  for 
me  to  pay  his  price  out  of  my  travelling  pocket-money, 
offered  at  once  to  accept  my  draft  on  New  York  for 
the  sum,  in  which  manner  the  purchase  was  made. 
Neither  of  these  gentlemen  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of 
me  before,  neither  of  them  asked  even  for  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction or  other  papers  to  satisfy  them  as  to  any 
particulars  respecting  me  ;  and  with  all  due  and  mo- 
dest allowance  for  my  own  gentlemanly  appearance,  I 
very  much  doubt  whether  I  should  have  met  with  the 
same  liberal  treatment,  under  similar  circumstances, 
at  a  country  town  in  Yorkshire  or  Lancashire. 

Another  thing  I  am  also  bound  in  candour  to  say, 
namely,  that  the  descriptions  hitherto  given  by  travel- 
lers, of  the  accommodations  at  the  taverns  in  the  more 
remote  parts  of  the  country,  have  been  highly  coloured 
to  tlieir  disadvantage.  In  travelling  for  the  last  fort- 
night with  my  own  horse  and  waggon,  I  have  stopped 


TAVERN    ACCOMMODATION.  75 

at  three  or  four  different  places  in  the  course  of  each 
day,  and  have  ^^one  throuo^h  a  great  portion  of  the 
most  unsettled  country  in  New  York,  Vermont,  and 
New  Hamshire  :  in  many  instances  the  taverns  have 
been  very  small  ;  but  I  have  never  had  reason  to  com- 
plain of  want  of  cleanliness,  good  victuals,  or  civility. 
I  have  asked  at  the  most  unseasonable  hours,  both 
early  and  late,  for  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper  ;  and 
in  the  course  of  ten  minutes  have  always  been  sup- 
plied with  a  beefsteak,  potatoes,  bread  and  cheese,  but- 
ter, eggs,  and  tea  or  coffee ;  the  beds  have  been  clean, 
and  whenever  I  asked  for  two  or  three  towels  instead 
of  the  one  placed  in  the  room,  they  have  been  furnished 
without  any  hesitation  or  extra  charge.  All  that  a 
traveller  requires  is  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  world, 
to  prevent  his  mistaking  manners  for  intention  ;  and  a 
sufficient  fund  of  good  temper  in  himself  to  keep  him 
from  being  irritated  by  trifles.  Upon  entering  or  driving 
up  to  a  tavern,  the  landlord  will  sometimes  continue 
smoking  his  pipe  without  noticing  your  entrance  ;  and 
if  you  ask  whether  you  can  have  dinner,  you  may  be 
told  "  dinner  is  over,  but  I  guess  you  can  have  some- 
thing." If  you  are  true  John  Bull,  you  will  fret  and 
sulk  ;  and  silently  comparing  this  with  the  bustling 
attention  and  empressement  of  an  English  waiter  or 
boots,  you  walk  about  by  yourself,  chewing  the  bitter 
cud  of  wrath  :  but  if  you  are  a  traveller,  or  formed  by 
nature  to  become  one  (which  John  Bull  is  not),  you 
will  take  this  reception  as  you  find  it  and  as  the  usage 
of  the  country,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  of  the  pipe 
will  be  assisting  to  arrange  your  baggage,  to  dry  your 
wet  great  coat,  and  a  tolerable  dinner  will  be  in  prepa- 
ration. Such  is  the  state  of  thino-s  in  the  North,  what 
it  may  be  in  the  South  and  West,  I  have  yet  to  learn. 
From  Montpelier  I  drove  through  a  tolerably  well- 
cultivated  country  to  Hanover,  a  pretty  town,  in  which 
is  situated  Dart  ford  College  ;  an  extensive  clumsy 
building.  I  was  informed  that  the  number  of  students 
was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  besides  the  medical 
department,  which  was  separate,  and  consisted  of  one 
hundred ;  but  as  the  weather  was  very  stormy,  and  it 


76  CONCORD. 

was  vacation  time;  I  had  little  inclination  or  opportu- 
nity to  see  the  lions  of  Hanover  ;  accordingly  I  made 
the  best  of  my  way  to  Concord,  the  capital  of  New 
Hampshire,  a  clean  airy  town,  containing  several  good 
taverns,  and  an  excellent  hotel. 

The  village  consists  principally  of  the  main  street,  the 
houses  of  which  are  generally  painted  white,  and  a 
great  many  of  them  have  gardens  and  large  trees  round 
them,  which  give  them  a  fresh  and  rural  appearance. 

The  state  of  New  Hampshire^  of  which  Concord  is 
the  capital,  contains  about  the  same  population  as  Ver- 
mont, and  both  send  five  members  to  Congress.  Du- 
ring my  excursion,  the  political  feelings  in  both  states 
ran  rather  high,  and  seemed  pretty  equally  divided  on 
the  Bank  question,  at  this  time  the  general  subject  of 
divided  opinion  ;  but  I  thought  the  majority  of  the  in- 
habitants of  both  these  states  more  favourable  to  the  ex- 
isting government  than  those  of  New  York. 

Before  arriving  at  Concord,  I  passed  a  Shaker  vil- 
lage ;  but  as  it  was  not  on  a  Sunday,  I  could  not  see 
any  of  the  peculiarities  of  their  worship.  The  rain, 
which  fell  in  torrents,  prevented  me  from  paying  atten- 
tion to  other  circumstances  which  might  have  been 
worthy  of  notice. 

At  Concord  I  found  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  sitting: 
the  case  appeared,  from  the  numbers  that  flocked  into 
the  town,  to  create  much  interest,  and  upon  inquiry  I 
found  that  a  man  was  upon  his  trial  for  murdering  a 
woman  under  most  horrible  and  aggravated  circum- 
stances.    They  were  briefly  as  follows  : — 

A  young  man  of  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of 
age,  lived  as  farm-servant  in  a  respectable  family  near 
Concord,  the  mistress  of  which  was  an  amiable,  and 
beautiful  young  woman.  She  asked  her  husband  one 
evening  to  go  to  the  garden  and  gather  some  strawberries 
with  her ;  he  happened  to  be  reading  an  interesting 
book  and  declined,  and  she  went  accompanied  by  this 
lad.  On  arriving  there,  he  made  a  brutal  attack  upon 
her  ;  and  unable  to  effect  his  purpose,  murdered  her  by 
beating  her  brains  out  with  a  stake.  The  unfortunate 
woman  appears  to  have  made  a  protracted  resistance, 


CRIMINAL    TRIAL.  77 

as  the  grass  around  the  spot  was  covered  with  blood 
and  other  marks  of  a  struggle.  These  circumstances, 
the  prisoner  admitted,  and  the  defence  rested  upon  an 
attempt  to  prove  temporary  insanity  ! 

In  the  state  of  New  Hampshire,  murder  and  treason 
are  the  only  crimes  punishable  by  death.  Two  coun- 
sel are  provided  for  the  panel  by  the  state  ;  the  prosecu- 
tion is  conducted  by  the  Attorney-general  for  the  state, 
and  the  solicitor  Qf  the  county  ;  and  the  court  is  com- 
posed of  two  judges  of  the  local,  and  two  of  the  supreme 
court,  one  of  which  latter  presides. 

I  attended  three  or  four  hours  on  the  sejcond  day,  all 
of  which  time  was  occupied  in  the  examination  of  me- 
dical men  on  the  subject  of  insanity.  1  was  surprised 
to  find  great  weight  attached  in  court  to  the  writings 
and  opinions  of  Combe  and  Spurzheim,  and  I  certainly 
never  heard  so  vague  and  desultory  an  examination  as 
that  which  these  witnesses  underwent :  every  case  of 
insanity  that  had  ever  come  under  their  observation  was 
quoted  revelant  or  irrevelant.  There  was  no  attempt 
to  prove  that  the  prisoner  had  ever  shown  symptoms  of 
that  malady  previously  to  the  murder,  but  his  grmid- 
father  had  been  an  odd  man,  and  one  of  his  uncles  was 
nearly  mad — when  drunk  ! 

One  ludicrous  instance  quoted  of  the  hereditary 
descent  of  maladies,  may  be  mentioned  as  an  evidenc^ 
of  the  latitude  allowed  to  a  prisoner's  defence  :  the 
prisoner's  father  had  never  shown  any  symptoms  of 
that  strangeness  of  character  for  which  his  grandfather 
had  been  remarkable  ;  one  medical  witness  said  that 
the -President  Jefferson's  grandson  inherited  exactly 
that  eminent  man's  nose^  although  in  the  intermediate 
face  of  his  father  a  difterent  nose  had  appeared  !  The 
prisoner  had  been  confined  about  a  year  and  a  half, 
having  confessed  the  assault  and  consequent  murder. 
The  stings  of  conscience,  the  tedious  confinement,  the 
expectation  of  death,  and  above  x\\\fossihly  the  know- 
ledge that  his  life  depended  upon  being  pronounced 
mad  or  idiotic,  had  given  to  his  countenance  in  court 
a  sallow  hue,  a  downcast  look,  a  heavy  lustreless  eye; 


78  AMOSKEAG. 

and  yet  one  medical  witness  commented  upon  his  ap- 
pearance in  court  as  an  evidence  of  madness  ! 

My  impression  from  the  evidence  was,  that  the  pri- 
soner had  been  clearly  guilty  of  a  brutal  attempt,  which 
he  had  deliberately  endeavoured  to  conceal  by  an  atro- 
cious murder,  and  that  be  deserved  hanging  as  richly 
as  any  wretch  that  ever  died  by  the  gallows.  I  learnt 
soon  afterwards  that  he  was  condemned,  but  I  did  not 
hear  or  read  of  his  execution,  so  it  is  not  im^probabie 
that  his  punishment  was  commuted,  as  (in  1834)  thir- 
teen years  had  elapsed  since  a  capital  conviction  had 
been  followed  by  execution  in  the  state  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Leaving  Concord  in  the  afternoon  I  drove  to  Amos- 
keag,  a  pretty  village  in  the  road  to  Boston,  where 
there  is  a  thriving  cotton  factory,  standing  upon  a  rocky 
promontory  projecting  into  the  river,  whence  the  water 
flows  through  the  establishment.  Below  it  is  a  cascade, 
Qver  which  is  thrown  a  wooden  bridge.  The  dark 
pines  fringing  the  banks  of  the  stream,  gave  to  the 
whole  scene  under  the  chasteninginfluence  of  the  bright 
moonlight  in  which  I  saw  it,  an  agreeable  and  pic- 
turesque effect,  which  was  the  more  striking  from  its 
being  totally  unexpected. 

Here  my  poor  steed,  Hornet,  evinced  considerable 
signs  of  having  been  overdriven  in  the  hot  weather. 
As  his  shoulder  was  much  pained  by  the  collar,  I  de- 
termined to  take  him  no  further,  and  accordingly  ex- 
changed him  for  a  short,  stout,  active  galloway,  more 
suited  for  daily  drudgery,  and  a  better  match  in  size 
for  my  little  Indian  pony. 

From  Amoskeag  I  proceeded  to  Lowell  in  Massachu- 
sets,  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  towns  in  this  extra- 
ordinary country.  It  is  now  perhaps  the  first  manufac- 
turino-  village  in  the  United  States  ;  and  although  it 
cannot  vie  with  Manchester,  Leeds,  or  Glasgow,  in 
wealth  or  population,  it  far  exceeds  them  in  the  neat- 
ness and  cleanliness  of  its  streets  and  buildings.  Du- 
ring this  year  (1834)  I  understood  that  the  capital  em- 
barked in  cotton  mills  was  about  one  million  and  a  half 
sterling,  employing  seven  thousand  persons,  and  above 
one  hundred  thousand  spindles  ;  at  a  rough  estimate 


BOSTON.  79 

there  might  be  forty  million  yards  of  cotton  made  in 
the  year,  of  which  one-fourth  were  printed. 

From  Lowell  I  proceeded  to  Boston,  where  I  arrived 
in  the  evening.  The  approach  to  the  city,  which  is  over 
a  very  long  wooden  bridge,  recalled  Amsterdam  to  my 
memory ;  an  association,  doubtless,  strengthened  by 
the  busy  stir,  and  the  masts  seen  in  so  many  directions 
as  to  lead  you  to  believe  that  every  street  was  a  canal. 

On  arriving,  I  drove  (as  every  traveller  must  do,  hon 
gre^  mal  gre)  to  that  first  and  most  complete  of  hos- 
telry monopolies,  the  TremoHt  House,  which  is  certainly 
one  of  the  largest  and  best-conducted  establishments  of 
the  sort  in  the  world.  The  building  is  a  good  massy 
specimen  of  the  simplest  order  of  Greek  architecture  ; 
and  although  I  could  not  perceive  the  extreme  beauty 
which  I  had  been  taught  to  expect,  the  effect  of  the 
whole  is  both  pleasing  ynd  imposing.  To  this  house 
the  daily  arrivals  may  be  reckoned  by  scores,  sometimes 
by  hundreds  ;  and  fortunate,  indeed,  is  the  man  who, 
by  giving  a  week's  notice,  can  obtain  a  single  room  of 
ten  feet  by  twelve.  The  ground  floor  is  taken  up  by 
two  large  drawing  rooms  for  ladies  on  one  side  of  the 
entrance,  and  a  reading-room,  parlour,  and  smoking- 
room,  for  gentlemen,  on  the  other  ;  behind  these  is  the 
dining-room,  probably  ninety  feet  by  fifty ;  and  the 
wings,  which  are  built  round  a  large  court,  contain  par- 
lours and  sleeping-rooms  for  families. 

The  drives  and  rides  about  Boston  are  very  beauti- 
ful specimens  of  the  best  kind  of  English  villa  scenery. 
The  enclosures  are  small,  the  verdure  rich,  the  ground 
undulating,  and  all  remind  the  British  traveller  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Richmond  and  Roehampton,  while 
the  clean  white  villas,  with  their  verandahs  covered 
with  fragrant  creepers,  and  surrounded  by  gardens  and 
orchards,  indicate  that  luxurious  comfort  and  wealthy 
repose  which  gild  the  peaceful  autumn  of  a  life  of  com- 
mercial activity.  In  many  respects  Boston  is  a  pleasant 
and  interesting  city,  the  latter  from  its  being  the  foun- 
dation stone  of  the  Temple  of  American  Liberty  ;  and 
the  former,  from  the  liberality  and  hospitality  by  which 
its  citizens  are  distinguished. 


80  BOSTON. MR.    WEBSTER. 

The  day-  after  my  arrival  I  had  the  pleasure  of  an  in- 
troduction to  Mr.  Webster,  whose  reputation  for  foren- 
sic eloquence  is  already  as  familiar  to  the  eastern  as  to 
the  western  hemisphere ;  and  although  he  was  unfor- 
tunately labouring  under  the  attack  of  a  severe  cold,  it 
required  very  little  fancy  to  clothe  that  open  brow,  that 
large  dark  eye,  that  firm  and  compressed  lip,  and  that 
deep  voice  with  all  their  well-known  attributes  of  rea- 
soning, sarcasm,  and  invective.  We  parted  with  a  sin- 
cere wish  on  my  part  to  improve  the  acquaintance  du- 
ring the  ensuing  season  at  Washington. 

My  stay  in  this  city  was  so  short  that  I  will  not  pre- 
tend to  make  any  comments  upon  its  society  :  I  only 
attended  two  or  three  small  parties ;  and  although  the 
general  tone  of  conversation  was  more  grave  and  hte- 
rary  than  what  I  had  hitherto  found  elsewhere  in  the 
United  States,  I  am  quite  aware  that  any  opinions  of 
mine,  formed  during  a  residence  of  a  few  days  in  a  city 
of  such  magnitude  and  so  often  described,  would  be 
crude  and  without  value.  I  will,  therefore,  pass  over 
the  subject  of  Boston's  merits,  not  as  undeserving  of 
further  notice,  but  from  a  feeling  of  my  own  incompe- 
tence to  do  justice  to  it. 


RETURN    TO    NEW   YORK.  81 


CHAPTER  YII. 

Return  to  New  York. — Heavy  Fog. — Exploring  Party.— Society  in  New 
York. — Departure  for  Philadelphia. — Exhibition  of  Wild  Beasts  in  Bor- 
dentown. — Arrival  in  Philadelphia. — A  lineal  Descendant  of  William 
Wallace. — Arrival  at  Washington. — British  Legation. — Tour  to  the 
West  of  Virginia. — Wretched  Roads. — A  Disaster. — A  Negro  Samari- 
tan.— Friendly  Landlord. — Arrival  at  Leesburgh.— Search  for  Game. — 
Capture  of  a  large  Gobbler. — Fruit  called  Persimmon. — Remarkable 
Duel. — Romney. — Excursion  in  pursuit  of  Deer. — American  Agricul- 
rist  and  Hunter. — Invidious  Comparison, — Hospitable  Laird. — Repub- 
lican Doctrine  of  Equality — ludicrous  Anomalies  arising  from  this. — 
Survey  of  various  Tracts  of  Land. — Progress  of  Agriculture. — Excur- 
sion to  the  Glades  of  Alleghany — Scenery — the  Inhabitants. — -Private 
Entertainment, — Mr,  Chisholm. — Recollections  of  Scotland. — Scotch 
Settlers. — Field  Sports  in  the  Alleghanies. 

From  Boston  I  returned  to  New  York  by  steam,  em- 
barking at  Providence.  On  this  expedition  my  usual 
sea-luck  attended  me,  inasmuch  as  we  were  obliged  to 
drop  the  anchor  in  mid-channel  between  Long  Island 
and  the  main  land  in  consequence  of  a  heavy  easterly 
fog,  through  which  the  eye  could  not  penetrate  above 
twenty  yards.  After  lying  there  all  night  and  half  the 
succeeding  day,  the  captain  determined  to  send  out  a 
boat  to  explore  in  hopes  of  obtaining  information  orbear- 
ings  by  which  he  might  continue  his  course.  As  I  was 
weary  of  inaction,  I  jumped  into  the  boat  and  took  an 
oar  ;  there  were  three  others  besides  myself  and  a 
steersman  :  we  pushed  off  armed  with  only  a  compass, 
and  in  three  minutes  lost  sight  of  the  steamer.  Like 
Satan  of  old 

"  From  them  we  went 
This  uncouth  errand  sole  ;  and  we,  for  all 
Ourselves  exposed  with  lonely  steps  to  tread 
Th'  unfounded  deep,  and  through  the  void  immense 
To  search  with  wandering  quest  a  pface." 

We  rowed  steadily  on  in  order  that  the  compass  might 
not  be  disturbed,  and  the  only  sound  that  broke  upon 
the  ear  through  the  thick  pulpy  haze,  was  the  melan- 


8/9  EXPLORING    PARTY. 

choly  tolling  of  the  steamboat  bell  which  became  gra- 
dually fainter  and  fainter,  till  at  length  it  died  away  al- 
together. 

Several  times  we  rested  on  our  oars,  and  the  cox- 
swain proposed  to  return,  a  motion  which  I  always  ne- 
gatived, as  I  thought  we  should  be  laughed  at  if  we 
went  back  without  conveying  any  information,  and  I 
knew  that  we  were  in  a  channel  which  could  not  be 
more  than  ten  or  fifteen  miles  wide,  so  that  we  had  lit- 
tle fear  of  being  starved,  unless  we  were  carried  out  to 
sea.  Again  we  rowed  on,  and  again  the  faint  chime  of 
the  bell  was  heard  as  the  lazy  breeze  veered  and  hauled 
and  gradually  died  away  ;  but  even  this  ceased  to  be  of 
much  avail,  as  one  sailor  thought  the  steamer  was 
astern  of  us,  another  that  she  was  on  our  larboard,  ano- 
ther on  our  starboard  quarter ;  we  still  pulled  a-head  by 
compass,  and  were  soon  rewarded  by  hearing  a  distant 
roar  which  we  knew  to  be  breakers,  but  owincr  to  the 
state  of  the  atmosphere  the  sounds  were  so  indistinct, 
that  we  could  not  agree  from  whence  they  came.  We 
pulled,  perhaps,  two  or  three  miles  before  we  made  the 
shore,  but  then  it  was  merely  a  low  line  of  rocks,  by 
which  none  of  my  companions  could  calculate  whether 
it  was  island  or  main-land,  or  even  ascertain  on  which 
side  of  the  channel  they  were ;  however,  after  pulling 
a  mile  or  two  alone  the  coast,  we  made  a  light  house, 
which  they  recognized,  and  taking  accurate  bearings, 
we  put  the  boat  about  and  steered  due  north-west,  which 
was  the  point  at  which  we  calculated  the  steamer's  an- 
chorage ;  determining,  after  rowing  a  certain  distance, 
to  cruise  about  till  we  heard  the  bell.  The  plan  suc- 
ceeded, and  we  reached  her  with  very  little  deviation 
from  our  north-west  course,  having  been  absent  between 
two  and  three  hours.  Altogether  it  was  to  me  a  very 
pleasant  excursion  :  I  obtained  some  hard  exercise,  as 
we  had  but  four  oars,  and  the  boat  was  meant  for  six  ; 
and  there  was  something  mysterious  in  the  chaoticdark- 
ness  of  our  course  that  gave  the  excitement  of  danger 
without  its  annoyance. 

On  my  return  to  New  York,  I  quitted  the  gaiety  and 
noise  of  the  hotel  for  a  quiet  lodging,  and  resolved  to 


EXHIBITION    OF    ANIMALS.  83 

spend  a  few  weeks  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of 
society.  Of  these — although  it  was  not  properly  speak- 
ino"  the  s^ay  season — I  had  enough  aiid  more  than 
enough,  to  satisfy  my  utmost  desires,  and  the  time  pas- 
sed as"  rapidly  as  it  is  wont  tu  do,  under  the  influepce  of 
hospitality,  amusement,und  1  hope,  I  may  add,  friendship. 

On  the  23rd  of  October  I  left  New  York  for  Phila- 
delphia, which  journey  is  usually  performed  in  little 
more  than  half  a  day,  by  the  combined  exertions  of. 
steam-boat  and  railroad  opposed  to  the  vis  mortice  of 
their  respective  antagonist  elements.  I  preferred  how- 
ever, driving  at  leisure  through  the  quiet  woods,  of 
New  Jersey  to  Bordentown,  where  I  spent  tiie  evening, 
and  found  the  whole  village  in  a  state  of  excitement, 
owing  to  the  recent  arrival  of  a  caravan  of  wild  beasts. 
Of  course  I  went  to  see  it.  The  exhibition  of  animals 
was  commonplace  enough,  with  the  exception  of  a  very 
find  black-mained  African  lion,  and  a  young  female 
elephant,  which  last  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck 
of  an  English  vessel,  on  board  of  which  she  had  been 
so  smitten  by  the  heaiix  yenx  of  a  bitll-dog,  that  she 
could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  leave  the  wreck  till  her 
canine  swain  was  induced  to  jum.p  into  the  water,  and 
she  followed  him :  of  course  this  tender  couple  have 
not  been  separated.  Though  the  wild  beasts  were  of 
an  ordinary  description,  not  so  were  the  caravans  and 
vehicles  in  which  they  were  transported  ;  of  these  there 
were  ten  or  twelve,  each  drawn  by  four  or  six  grey 
horses,  no  other  colour  being  admitted  :  they  were 
accompanied  by  an  excellent  German  band,  and  their 
puffs  or  show  bills  would  put  to  shame  the  paltry  ef- 
forts of  Messrs.  Womb  well,  Charles  Wright,  or  even 
those  of  a  candidate  for  Westminister. 

On  the  following  day  I  arrived  in  Philadelphia.  As 
I  proposed  revisiting  this  city  in  the  winter,  I  made 
but  a  short  stay  ;  but  during  the  fQ\Y  days  which  I  did 
remain  there,  1  experienced  much  kindness  from  the 
two  or  three  families  with  whom  I  was  acquainted ; 
and  among  other  inducements  to  return,  I  must  not 
forget  that  I  heard  the  harp  played  in  a  manner  never 
excelled  by  any  performer,  professor,  or  amateur.     As 


84  DESCENDANT    OF    WALLACE. 

the  fair  harpiste  was  one  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
number  among  my  acquaintance,  I  looked  forward  to 
the  winter  months  when  I  might  again  enjoy  a  musical 
treat,  in  hearing  so  exquisitely  played  an  instrument 
which  is  linked  with  all  the  earliest  associations  of  my 
childhood. 

\i  Baltimore  I  met  and  conversed  with  an  elderly 
gentleman  of  the  name  of  Wallace.  In  early  life  he 
had  attended  the  classes  at  Edinburgh,  and  studied 
under  Dr.  Black  and  others.  He  boasts  of  beinsf  the 
only  remaining  lineal  descendant  of  William  Wallace, 
and  still  uses  the  arms  and  motto  of  that  hero  :  he  men- 
tioned to  me  that  he  was  once  in  an  engraver's  shop 
in  Edinburgh,  giving  the  requisite  instructions  for  cut- 
ting his  seal,  when  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  who  was  ac- 
cidentally present,  examined  the  arms  and  motto,  and 
said,  "Sir,  there  is  only  one  family  remaining  entitled 
to  these,  and  that  family  is  in  Virginia."  This  con- 
firmation of  his  innocent  and  praiseworthy  claims  from 
the  lips  of  a  stranger,  must  have  given  him  great  sat- 
isfaction. He  is  a  very  cheerful,  communicative,  old 
gentleman,  and  I  was  really  pleased  to  interchange  a 
friendly  grasp  with  a  hand,  the  veins  of  which  might 
be  enriched  even  with  a  drop  of  the  Wallace  blood. 

On  the  1st  of  November  I  arrived  at  Washington, 
where  I  found  myself  domesticated  in  the  house  of 
my  friend  Sir  C.  Vaughan,  and  surrounded  by  every 
comfort  that  the  kindest  host  could  devise,  or  the 
most  luxurious  traveller  desire.  I  should  feel  that  I 
was  trespassing  upon  the  privacy  of  friendship  were  1 
to  enumerate  his  agreeable  and  amiable  qualities  as  a. 
companion,  or  his  high  character  as  a  diplomatist, 
although  all  who  know  him  would  bear  witness  to 
the  former,  and  the  latter  is  stamped  by  public  opin- 
ion. 

After  spending  a  pleasant  fortnight  in  Washington, 
which  city  I  intended  to  revisit  in  the  winter,  I  pro- 
ceeded on  my  tour  into  the  west  of  Virginia.  As  I 
continued  to  travel  in  my  waggon  with  my  two  po- 
nies, I  proposed  halting  the  first  evening  at  Leesburgh, 
a  village  about  thirty-two  miles  from  Washington.     I 


WRETCHED    ROADS.  86 

had  been  warned  that  the  road  was  nnderoroing  a 
radical  reform,  and  I  started  in  a  heavy  constant  rain, 
in  order  that  I  might  the  better  appreciate  tlie  neces- 
sity for  snch  a  measure  :  the  first  two  miles  convinced 
me  that  its  adoption  was  never  more  loudly  called  for 
by  Gatton  or  Old  Sarum,  by  the  old  burgh  corpora- 
tions of  Scotland,  or  by  the  late  post-office  regulations 
in  America. 

In  one  place  the  road,  or  rather  the  passage,  with  a 
high  bank  on  one  side  and  a  canal  on  the  other,  was 
strewed  so  thickly  with  rocks  that  it  was  impossible 
to  guide  either  horse  or  wheels  between  them  ;  the 
aforesaid  flank  barricades  prevented  the  attainment  of 
the  usual  remedial  luxury  in  this  country,  of  driving  by 
the  side  of  the  road  over  stumps  of  trees  or  through  a 
morass,  so  I  had  nothing  for  it  but  to  leave  my  four- 
footed  friends  to  their  own  sagacity,  and  to  trust  the 
character  of  the  coachmaker  to  the  mercy  of  the  rocks. 
The  sequel  will  prove  that  the  latter  did  not  deserve 
the  confidence  reposed  in  him  so  well  as  the  former  ; 
they  indeed  scrambled  on  in  a  manner  that  amused 
and  astonished  me  ;  my  little  Indian  leader,  (for  I 
drove  them  tandem)  was  now  perched  on  a  stone  with 
his  tail  above  the  wheeler's  head,  then  descended  into 
a  pool  where  he  was  hardly  visible.  Indeed,  our 
progress  was  something  like  that  agreeable  journey 
(would  that  he  had  never  accomplished  it  !)  which  his 
Satanic  majesty,  as  described  by  Milton,  made  from 
his  infernal  to  his  future  terrestrial  dominion. 

"  Nigh  founder'd,  on  he  fares, 
O'r  bog,  or  steep,  through  straits,  rough,  dense,  or  rare, 
With  head,  hands,  wings,  or  feet,  pursues  his  way." 

At  length  we  escaped  from  this  confused  mass  of 
rocks,  (which,  after  all,  requires  nothing  more  than  a 
few  barrels  of  gunpowder  and  a  few  hundred  Irish 
under  the  guidance  of  Macadam,  to  make  it  into  a 
road,)  and  I  fondly  hoped  that  I  had  escaped  the  stony 
ordeal,  with  no  further  damage  than  my  own  half- 
dislocated  bones ;  heii^  vatum  ignarcB  m.entes !  I 
drove  on  in  safety  for  upwards  of  twenty-iive  miles, 

H 


8$  A    DISASTER. 

and  was,  indeed,  within  three  of  Leesbnrgh.  The 
rain  was  falling  in  torrents,  night  had  come  on,  when, 
descending  a  small  hill,  I  felt  several  strange  and 
uncouths  jots  in  the  waggon,  which  were  too  often 
repeated  for  me  to  think  they  could  be  occasioned  by- 
stones  in  the  road  ;  and  just  as  I  had  resolved  to  get 
out  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  to  ascertain  the  cause  of 
this  strange  limpmg  gait  in  my  waggcn,  I  was  spared 
the  trouble  of  putting  my  intentions  into  execution, 
by  the  sudden  departure  of  one  of  the  forewheels, 
which  placed  me  comfortably  in  the  mud.  Luckily 
my  ponies  were  as  quiet  in  difficulty  as  gallant  in 
action,  so  they  gave  me  no  trouble.  I  got  up  to  ex- 
amine the  damage,  and  found  that  the  wheel  was 
positively  annihilated,  the  rim  and  tire  gone,  nowhere 
to  be  found,  and  the  spokes  broken  in  every  direction, 
after  having  warned  me  by  the  aforementioned  jolts  of 
the  unwonted  office  they  were  performing. 

Now,  gentle  readers  of" these  important  memoirs,  if  you 
have  experience  in  similarcases,  or  if  you  have  imagi- 
nation, which  will  do  quite  as  well,  picture  to  yourself 
the  agreeable  predicament  in  which  I  was  placed  ; 
alone  in  a  strange  road  and  unknown  country,  not  a 
human  being  or  dwelling  in  sight,  inasmuch  as  it  was 
already  dark,  and  my  wagon  full  of  baggage,  which  I 
did  not  which  to  leave  exposed  while  I  went  to  seek 
assistance,  even  if  I  had  ventured  to  trust  tlie  station- 
ary propensities  of  the  ponies  :  here  was  enough  to 
rouse  the  bilious  ingredients  of  a  moderate  temper. 
However,  there  are  few  evils  without  their  attendant 
antidotes  ;  and  in  this  case  any  little  tendency  that  I 
might  have  to  warm  or  hasty  feeling,  was  wholesomely 
cooled  and  subdued  by  the  rain,  which  conticued 
to  fail  with  unwearied  perseverance  and  undiminished 
vigour. 

Not  having  the  means  of  lighting  one  consolatory 
cigar,  I  was  obliged  in  psei/do-FcisidU  phrase,  to  "sit 
upon  the  carpet  of  expectation  and  smoke  the  pipe  of 
patience."  I  took  the  harness  off  my  Indian  leader, 
in  order  that  I  might  be  ready  to  pursue  the  first  Sa- 
maritan that  Providence  might  send  to  the  neighbour- 


A    NEGRO    SAMARITAN.  87 

hood,  and  had  not  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when 
a  negro  passed,  carrying  some  brooms  to  the  village  ; 
he  seemed  a  good-humoured  fellow,  and  willing  to 
render  me  all  the  assistance  in  his  power.  I  liked  his 
manner,  and  what  I  could  see  of  his  face,  (which  by- 
the-by  amounted  to  little  more  than  the  teeth,)  and 
determined  to  show  a  magnanimous  confidence  worthy 
of  the  great  Alexander  and  his  medicine  cup.  Ac- 
cordingfy  I  left  him  in  charge  of  the  waggon  and  one 
quadruped,  while  I  threw  myself  on  the  deck  of  the 
other,  which  I  had  unharnessed,  and  galloped  back  to 
a  house  that  I  remembered  to  have  passed  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  mile  from  the  scene  of  my  catastrophe.* 

On  arriving,  1  entered  the  first  room,  and  presented 
my  dripping  and  suppliant  form  to  tlie  landlord  of  the 
tavern,  for  such  it  was.  He  proved  very  deaf  to  my 
voice,  not  so  to  my  entreaties  ;  for,  after  I  had  bellowed 
in  his  ear  a  detail  of  my  accident,  whi^^h  elicited  sundry 
suppressed  sniggles  and  malicious  smiles  from  one  or 
two  personifications  of  mischief  in  petticoats  who  were 
in  the  adjacent  room,  the  old  gentleman  told  me  that 
I  was  welcome  to  his  servant,  horse,  and  cart,  to  trans- 
port my  luggage  to  the  city,  and  that  he  should  charge 
me  nothing.  I  think  it  right  to  record  this  among  the 
many  refutations  (which  my  experience  affords)  to  the 
accusation  of  rudeness,  so  frequently  and  unjustly- 
brought  against  the  Americans. 

I  returned  to  the  tvaggon,  where  I  found  my  faith- 
ful sentinel,  who  assisted  me  to  place  ail  my  effects  in 
the  cart ;  and  mounting  him  upon  the  other  pony, 
with  the  baggage-waggon  in  the  rear,  I  entered  the 
villasfe  of  L^esburgh,  with  my  two  sable  attendants, 
soaked  and  triumpliant.  Dry  clothes,  and  a  cup  of  hot 
coffee,  accompanied  by  a  broiled  fowl  and  some  smoking 
cakes  ot  Indian  corn,  soon  banished  all  unpleasant 
recollections  of  ''  mine  accident,"  The  discriminating 
reader  will  doubtless  perceive  from  this  little  narrative, 
written  the  same  evening,  that  my  temper  was  soon 

+  The  classical  reader  will  appreciate  the  etymological  propriety  of  this 
expression. 


88  PURSUIT    OF    A    GOBLER. 

restored  to  its  usual  equilibrium ;   whether  that  be 
good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  I  leave  him  to  discover. 

While  my  waggon  was  undergoing  the  requisite  re- 
pairs, I  went  into  the  woods  near  Leesbnrgh,in  search 
of  partrido^es,  or  any  other  game  that  might  fall  in  my 
way.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  boy  and  his  dog,  a 
very  small  spaniel:  the  day  was  intensely  cold,  it  rained 
and  froze  severely,  and  consequently  I  found  my  clothes 
as  stiff  as  boards  upon  my  person.  This  would  have 
been  disagreeable  had  I  not  entirely  forgotten  it  in  a 
chase  which  I  unexpectedly  undertook.  I  was  cross- 
ing a  wooded  ravine,  when  a  large  gobler  (so  is  the 
full-grown  wild  turkey-cock  called  here)  started  from 
the  brush-wood  ;  my  gun  was  only  loaded  with  very 
small  partridge-shot,  but  I  discharged  both  barrels  after 
the  flying  enemy,  accidentally  broke  his  wing  ;  he  came 
to  the  ground,  and  began  to  run  like  an  ostrich.  The 
little  spaniel  pursued  in  gallant  style  ;  but  when  he 
came  up,  was  too  small  to  hurt  or  hold  his  antagonist. 
I  threw  down  my  rifle  and  joined  in  the  pursuit :  at 
length  I  got  hold  of  the  turkey's  leg  ;  the  grass  \yas 
slippery  with  ice,  and  in  his  desperate  struggle  to  es- 
cape he  pulled  me  over  on  the  ground,  then  he  scrat- 
ched my  hands  with  his  claws,  and  nearly  blinded  me 
by  flapping  his  great  wings  over  my  face  and  eyes  ; 
at  last  I  contrived  to  seize  his  neck,  and  soon  put  an 
end  to  the  contest.  As  he  was  too  heavy  a  burthen 
for  my  little  companion,  I  slung  him  across  my  back, 
and  shouldering  my  rifle,  returned  in  triumph  to  Lees- 
burgh.  During  the  walk  homeward  I  felt  no  disposi- 
tion to  complain  of  the  cold  ;  for,  independent  of  my 
accoutrements,  the  turkey's  weight  proved,  on  my 
arrival,  to  be  twenty-eight  pounds. 

On  this  expedition  I  tasted  for  the  first  time,  the  Per- 
simmon, a  fruit  which  is  excellent  when  over-ripe  and 
slightly  touched  by  frost ;  but  woe  to  the  inexperienced 
stranger  who  ventures  upon  it  in  an  earlier  stage  of  ma- 
turity !  for  then  its  bitter  power  of  astringency  is  sur- 
prising, and  seems  capable  of  suspending  for  a  time  all 
the  faculties  of  the  lips,  and  binds  up  the  risible  mus- 
cles of  the  sufferer  to  the  same  extent  that  it  excites 
those  of  a  spectator. 


EXTRAORDINARY    DUEL.  89 

While  in  this  village,  I  became  acquainted  with  a 

gentleman,  Colonel  M ,  who  had  been  concerned  in 

one  ot  those  extraordinary  duels  unheard  of  in  any 
other  civilized  nation.  He  had  quarrelled  with  Gene- 
ral M ,  to  whom  he  was  related,  (they  were  either 

first-cousins  or  brothers-in-law,  I  forget  which,)  and 
upon  some  occasion  of  meeting  and  dispute,  the  colonel 
knoclied  the  general  down.    Of  course,  he  immediately 

challenged  Colonel  M ,  leaving  him  the  choice  of 

any  medium  of  destruction  which  suited  his  fancy. — 
Colonel  M ,  knowing  the  general  to  be  an  experien- 
ced swordsman  and  an  unerring  shot,  proposed  to  the 
gentleiTiun  who  came  to  settle  the  preliminaries  of  this 
"  miirhty  pretty  quarrel,"  that  he  and  the  general  should 
sit  upon  the  same  barrel  of  gunpowder,  and  by  the  ap- 
plication of  a  match,  both  take  a  trip  mto  the  aerial  re- 
gions. This  very  sociable  proposal  was  declined  by 
the  o-eneral ;  and  the  colonel,  still  determined  to  have 
the  honour  of  his  relation's  company  in  the  long  jour- 
ney "  from  which  no  traveller  returns,"  suggested  the 
propriety  of  their  taking  hands  and  jumping  together 
off  the  top  of  the  Capitol.  This  courteous  (query  Cur- 
titfs)  offer  was  also  declined  by  the  unaccommodating 
and  unreasonable  general  ;  and  the  third  proposal  of 
the  colonel  was  musket  and  ball,  at  five  or  ten  paces  (I 
forget  which).  To  this  arrangement  there  could  be  no 
objection,  'rhey  met — fired  together  Dy  signal — the 
general  was  shot  through  the  heart,while  his  ball,  which 
was  pursuing  its  true  course  to  his  opponent's  breast, 
struck  against  the  breech  of  his  musket,  glanced  off, 
and  did  no  further  injury  than  shattering  a  part  of  one 
of  his  wrists;  he  showed  me  the  scar  of  this  wound. 

I  have  ofiven  this  story  exactly  as  it  was  told  me  by 
several  of  the  colonel's  own  acquaintances  in  the  town 
where  he  lives,  and  have  no  reason  to  doubt  its  correct- 
ness. It  is  only  necessary  to  add,  that  both  these  par- 
ties were  men  of  as  high  standing  as  any  in  their  dis- 
trict, both  members  of  the  legislature,  and  that  this  duel 
was  fought  within  fifty  miles  of  the  capital  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.     Where  caii  we  find  in  the  annals  of  early 


90  NEGRO    WEDDING. 

Rome,  or  of  Gothic  barbarianism,  or  any  where  else 
(except,  perhaps,  some  instances  of  more  glaring  atro- 
city in  Louisiana),  a  personal  quarrel  carried  on  in  a 
spirit  more  vindictive  and  barbarous  ?  This  incident 
would,  indeed,  be  scarcely  worth  the  narration,  as  far 
as  relates  to  the  two  individuals  concerned,  (because  it 
might  be  argued  that  in  any  country  two  persons  might 
be  possessed  by  so  rabid  a  feeling  of  revenge  or  hatred 
as  to  proceed  to  similarly  savage  extremities,)  but  it 
does  derive  some  importance,  as  a  collateral  indication 
of  national  character,  from  the  fact  that  the  parties  were 
in  respectable  and  responsible  situations,  and  that  the 
circumstances  attending  the  duel  were  related  to  me  in 
a  manner  rather  laudatory  of  the  courage,  than  depre- 
catory of  the  thirst  of  blood  displayed — and  that  too 
among  a  people  claiming  the  admiration  of  Europe  for 
the  universal  dissemination  of  education,  intelligence, 
and  morality ! 

The  weather  and  the  roads  continuing  equally  exe- 
crable, I  went  on  by  slow  stages  to  Romney,  a  village 
on  the  northern  neck  of  Virginia,  where  I  proposed  to 
remain  a  few  weeks  to  arrange  some  business  connected 
with  land  in  its  neighbourhood. 

I  was  not  a  little  amused  by  the  following  incident, 
which  occurred,  on  the  day  of  my  arrival,  at  the  mar- 
rias^e  of  two  negroes.  The  hymeneal  knot  was  tied  by 
a  member  of  the  sable  fraternity.  In  making  the  usual 
inquiry,  whether  any  person  present  could  object  to  the 
nuptial  ceremony,  he  pronounced  in  an  audible  voice 
the  following  exhortation  : — "Whoever  knows  any  just 
cause  why  these  two  persons  should  not  be  joined  in 
holy  matrimony,  speak  now,  hereafier — or  hold 
your  tongue  for  ever  /"  I  saw  two  or  three  of  the  la- 
dies attendant  upon  the  bride  ;  they  were  most  beauti- 
fully dressed,  especially  one  who  wore  a  laced  cap,  with 
coiffure  (1  suppose)  a  la  Frosei'pine.ixnd  a  crimson  satin 
gown.  In  sober  earnest,  it  was  a  melancholy  reflection, 
that  this  "  happy  couple"  might  be  to-day  or  to-morrow 
separated  for  life  by  the  slightest  whim  of  the  owner  of 
either  of  them  !  If  they  remain  together,  the  issue  of 
the  nuptial  bed  belongs  to  the  owner  of  the  bride ! 


INVIDIOUS    COMPARISON.  91 

As  the  o^reater  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  very  busy- 
in  attendance  upon  tfie  county  court  which  was  then 
sitting,  I  determined  to  spend  a  few  days  among  the 
surrounding  mountains,  in  pursuit  of  deer,  bears,  or 
whatever  game  fortune  might  throw  in  my  way.  I 
lodored  the  first  night  at  the  house  of  a  farmer,  about 
seven  miles  from  tiie  village,  who  joined  the  habits  of 
a  hunter  to  those  of  an  agriculturist,  as  is  indeed  the 
case  with  all  the  country  people  in  this  district ;  nearly 
every  man  has  a  rifle,  and  spends  part  of  his  lime  in 
the  chase.  My  double  rifle,  of  London  manufacture, 
excited  much  surprise  amono^  them  ;  but  the  conclu- 
ding remark  of  almost  every  inspector  was,  "I  guess  I 
could  beat  you  at  a  mark." 

My  host  received  me  with  much  hospitality,  and  in- 
troduced me  to  several  young  neighbours,  who  were  to 
be  our  companions  on  the  following  day.  The  conver- 
sation was  marked  by  that  invidious  comparison  of  the 
liberty  and  privileges  respectively  enjoyed  by  the  inha- 
bitants of  this  country  and  of  Britain  which  is  but  too 
common  among  Americans  of  the  middle  class  :  they 
still  persist  in  considering  as  slaves  a  body  of  men  as 
happy,  free,  and  independent  as  themselves.  On  these 
and  many  other  points,  a  continued  fire  of  raillery  on 
the  British  was  kept  up ;  but  I  must  add  it  was  meant 
in  good  humour,  and  was  by  me  so  received.  In  the 
same  spirit,  on  the  following  morning,  they  attempted 
to  walk  me  down,  by  taking  me  over  the  roughest  and 
steepest  ground  (we  were  on  foot  fourteen  hours) ;  but 
when  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  kill  a  fine  fat  buck,  I 
really  believe  that  every  man  present  was  more  gbid  of 
my  success  than  if  he  had  killed  it  himself.  AVe  slept, 
among  the  hills,  six  or  seven  on  the  floor,  in  the  cabin 
of  a  hospitable  laird^  who  gave  us  an  excellent  supper, 
and  returned  the  followingday,  through  the  same  moun- 
tains, without  killing  any  more  deer.  They  were  pret- 
ty scarce,  having  been  massacred  in  hundreds  during  a 
heavy  snow  the  preceding  winter.  I  found  the  tracks 
of  several  bears,  but  saw  none.  One  of  the  party  had 
a  shot  at  Bruin,  about  a  hundred  yards  off;  but  he  mis- 
sed him. 


92  REPUBLICAN    EaUALITY. 

The  mountains  being  steep,  and  covered  with  thick 
brushwood,  render  the  walking  somewhat  fatiguing, 
especially  as  their  sides  are  frequently  composed  of  loose 
stones,  which  become,  when  slightly  encrusted  with 
snow,  so  slippery  as  to  give  little  support  or  purchase 
for  the  feet ;  but,  although  quite  out  of  pedestrian  prac- 
tice, I  went  through  the  day,  thanks  to  my  habits  of 
walkino^  in  the  highlands,  without  experiencing  any 
unpleasant  fatigue. 

There  is  nothing  more  amusinof  among  Americans 
than  the  jealous  care  and  assiduity  with  which  they  as- 
sert and  maintain  the  republican  doctrine  of  equality  ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  observe  distinctions  and 
interchange  titles  which  would  appear  ridiculous  in 
England.  For  instance,  the  very  tirst  evening  that  I 
passed  under  the  roof  of  my  worthy  host,  not  only  he, 
but  his  farm  assistants  and  labourers,  called  me  "  Char- 
lie f^  which  Christian  appellation  would  doubtless  ap- 
pear Ye^Y  familiar  to  an  English  ear  in  the  mouth  of 
a  person  whose  acquaintance  is  just  made  :  the  curious 
observer  of  character,  who  wishes  to  see  the  jper  contra 
side  of  the  picture  may  find  in  the  first  village  to  which 
he  comes,  the  small  tavern  where  he  lodges  kept  by  a 
general,  the  broken  wheel  of  his  waggon  mended  by  a 
colonel,  and  the  day-labourers  and  mechanics  speaking 
of  one  another  as  "this  gentleman,"  and  "  that  gentle- 
man." 

They  will  not,  probably,  continue  long  to  wage  this 
useless  war  with  common  sense  and  the  common  mean- 
ing of  words  ;  but  will  return  to  the  usual  acceptation 
of  terms  acknowledged  by  other  civilized  nations,  among 
whom  a  general  is  a  man  so  named  from  the  length  or 
celebrity  of  his  military  service,  and  a  gentleman  is  so 
called  from  being,  by  birth,  education,  or  habits,  ena- 
bled to  follow  literary,  scientific,  or  liberal  pursuits, 
which,  by  refininor  Jiis  manners  and  enlarging  his  mind, 
distinguish  him  from  the  great  mass  of  mankind.  In 
short,  tficy  cannot  change  human  nature:  and  in  the 
application  of  these  and  similar  absurd  appellations  they 
must  at  length  find,  as  a  logician  might  say,  that  in- 
stead of  ennobling  the  subject  they  only  degrade  the 


SURVEY   OF    LAND.  93 

predicate.  Indeed,  common  candour  compels  us  to  con- 
fess, that  even  in  Britain  the  said  word  "  gentleman" 
has  been,  like  its  twin-brother  "honour,"  sadly  misap- 
plied ;  and  these  high  and  noble  appellations,  as  they 
would  be  understood  by  a  Surrey  or  a  Sidney  in  olden 
time,  or  by  kindred  minds  to  theirs  in  our  own,  belong 
with  about  as  much  propriety  to  the  coxcomb,  the  pro- 
fligate, and  tiie  duellist  who  assume  them  among  us,  as 
"general"  or  gentleman"  the  worthy  American  tavern 
keeper  or  operative. 

As  the  business  which  led  me  to  aaest^Romney  ob- 
liged me  to  superintend  and  accom.pany  the  survey  of 
various  tracts  of  land  in  its  neigbourhood,  I  became 
thereby  more  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  nature  and 
qualities  both  of  the  soil  and  of  the  inhabitants  than  I 
should  have  been  without  some  such  inducement.  I 
have  before  mentioned  that  the  surrounding  country  is 
mountainous  and  covered  with  thick  woods.  Inc  tim- 
ber is  noi  generally  fine,  the  best  of  it  having  been  cut 
for  planks ;  but  the  brushwood  is  so  dense,  and  the 
ground  so  rough,  that  the  process  of  surveying  is  ex- 
tremely tedious  and  difficult.  It  occupied  a  week,  every 
day  of  which  we  breakfasted  before  daylight,  and  did 
not  cease  our  investigation  till  nightfall,  when  we  be- 
took ourselves  to  the  nearest  house  or  cabin  for  food 
and  rest.  We  were  in  every  instance  kindly  and  hos- 
pitably received  ;  and  though  our  hosts  were  in  many 
instances  very  poor,  we  got  generally  a  good  supper  of 
Indian-corn  cakes,  buck-wheat,  and  wheat  bread,  coflfee, 
milk,  and  broiled  pork  or  venison,  and  slept  comforta- 
bly, sometimes  on  beds,  and  sometimes  in  blankets, 
cloaks,  or  buffalo-skins,  on  tlie  floor. 

The  process  of  ao:riculture  (if  it  can  be  so  termed)  in 
this  district  has  usually  been,  to  select  and  clear  some 
favourable  spot  of  woodland  ;  to  build  a  house  with  part 
of  the  timber,  and  sell  or  burn  the  rest ;  to  work  the 
soil,  by  making  it  bear  crop  after  crop  till  it  was  nearly 
exhausted,  then  to  sell  it  for  what  they  could  get,  and 
either  clear  another  piece,  or  what  was  more  common, 
emigrate  to  the  Western  States.  In  this  maimer  have 
the  soil  and  the  inhabitants  of  this  district  been  impove- 


94  EXCURSION  TO  ALLEGHANY. 

rished.  One  half  of  the  latter  who  remain  are  daily- 
talking  of  emigrating  ;  and,  could  tliey  pay  off  the 
debts  with  which  they  are  generally  encnmbered,  and 
get  any  one  to  buy  their  farms,  they  would  decamp  im- 
mediately. 

During  my  stay  at  Romney  I  made  an  excusion  to 
the  glades  of  Alleghany,  beins:  desirous  of  visiting  that 
district,  and  of  enjoying  the  sport  of  hunting  the  deer 
and  bears  with  which  it  was  said  to  abound.  I  could 
not  have  chosen  a  more  unfavourable  season  ;  for  the 
winter  was  just  setting  in,  the  wind  was  keen,  the 
frost  intense,  and  the  snow  had  not  begun  to  fall, 
without  which  winter  hunting  is  attended  with  but 
little  success.  The  roads  were,  as  usual  in  that 
neighbourhood,  execrable;  moveov^er,  1  was  obliged 
to  cross  several  creeks  or  rivers,  at  places  cetWed  fords. 
Such  indeed  they  might  be  to  an  elephant  or  giraffe, 
but  such  they  did  not  always  prove  to  my  little  Indian 
pony.  On  one  occasion,  having  arrived  upon  a 
branch  of  the  Potomac  when  the  day  was  pretty  far 
advanced,  and  not  having  much  time  to  deliberate,  or 
calculate  the  depth,  "  accoutred  as  I  was  I  plunged 
in  ;'-  and  before  I  had  reached  the  mid-stream,  was 
pleased  to  find  that  my  Lilliputian  charger  was  as  well 
versed  m  the  art  of  swimming  as  in  that  of  trotting  ; 
although  I  must  acknowlege  that  the  satisfaction  con- 
sequent upon  this  discovery  was  both  cooled  and 
damped  by  the  state  in  which  my  nether  man  was 
obliged  to  complete  the  day's  journey. 

The  scenery  between  Romney  and  the  glades  is 
generally  of  a  wild  and  mountainous  character  ;  the 
undulations  of  the  hills  are  almost  too  regular  ;  and 
yet,  such  is  their  vast  extent,  and  so  interspersed  are 
they  with  wood  and  water,  that  in  summer  the  pros- 
pect must  be  dehghtful :  indeed.  I  have  never  met 
a  tract  of  country  resembling  these  glades.  After 
crossing  several  steep  hills,  or  knobs,  as  they  are  hei?e 
called,  the  road  opens  upon  a  vast  plain,  elevated 
about  eight  hundred  feet  above  ihe  sea-level.  Here, 
during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  while  other 
districts  around  are  suffering  from  the  fierce  extreme 


THE    ALLEGHANY    GLADES.  95 

of  heat,  the  herbage  is  luxuriant  and  extremely  abun- 
dant, the  foliage  rich  and  varied,  the  breeze  is  ever 
cool,  and  the  streamlets  which  flow  through  and  fer- 
tilize these  natural  meadows  are  always  cold  and 
transparent.  The  number  of  herds  driven  hither  in 
the  summer  to  pasture  is  almost  incredible.  1  believe 
it  to  be  the  healthiest  district  in  the  whole  continent 
of  North  America. 

The  inhabitants  are  a  hardy  and  hospitable  race,  and 
almost  all  hunters  by  profession.  In  the  autumn  they 
kill  many  deer  and  bears,  which  they  send  in  w^ag- 
gons  to  Baltimore  and  Washington,  where  they  meet 
a  ready  and  profitable  market,  averaging  about  10 
cents  a  pound  ;  which  price  would  make  a  saddle  of 
venison  of  ordinary  size,  or  60  pounds,  bring  600 
cents,  or  nearly  'SOs.  sterling.  In  the  summer  the 
chief  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is  connected  with 
the  pasturage  before-mentioned.  The  population  is 
by  no  means  dense,  and  the  owners  and  occupants  of 
land  (being  generally  two  or  three  miles  apart)  are 
most  of  them  tavern-keepers,  or,  as  it  is  there  termed, 
they  keep  "  private  entertainment."  This  distinction 
consists  chiefly  in  the  latter  being  upon  a  smaller  and 
less  comfortable  scale  than  the  taverns  ;  indeed  the 
only  point  in  which  they  differ  from  other  farmers 
houses  is,  that  the  words  "  private  accommodation," 
entitles  them  to  make  a  charge  in  cases  where  other- 
wise the  duties  of  gratuitous  hospitality  would  be  in- 
cumbent or  inconvenient. 

Before  I  went  up  to  these  glades,  I  had  been  told 
that  I  must  go  and  see  Mr.  A,  Mr.  B,  Mr.  C,  excellent, 
fine,  hospitable  people  ;  they  would  be  so  glad  to  see 
me,  and  to  keep  me  a  few  days  with  them.  Upon 
arriving,  I  was  amused  to  observe  that  each  of  these 
kept  "  private  entertainment ;"  and  when  I  came 
away,  my  bill,  though  reasonable,  was  at  the  usual 
rate  of  tavern  charges.  I  record  these  trifles,  not  as 
disparaging  to  the  civility  or  hospitality  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, but  as  illustrative  of  their  habits  and  modes  of 
life  ;  indeed,  it  would  be  ungrateful  did  1  not  remem- 
ber that  the  farmer  with  whom  I  chiefly  resided,  af- 


96  MR.  CHISHOLM. 

forded  me  every  assistance  in  hunting  that  lay  in  his 
power,  and  showed  me  every  attention  that  a  guest 
could  desire.  The  house  was  in  very  bad  repair;  and 
though  the  mercury  was  in  the  very  near  neighbour- 
hood of  zero  of  Reaumer,  I  could  see  from  my  bed 
several  pretty  views  of  the  surrounding  country,  not 
through  the  windows,  but  through  the  apertures  be- 
tween^ the  logs  of  which  the  walls  were  composed ; 
while  the  roof  afforded  me  the  same  agreeable  facilities 
for  star-gazing.  However,  despite  my  usual  admira- 
tion of  the  beauties  of  nature,  I  was  unsentimental 
enough  to  fill  these  rustic  vistas  with  hay,  and  by  the 
help  of  a  tolerable  fire  1  waged  successful  war  against 
the  combined  forces  of  north-west  wind  and  frost. 

We  had  but  indifferent  sport  among  the  deer,  owing 
to  the  cold  dry  weather  and  tlie  want  of  snow  :  how- 
ever, I  enjoyed  my  favourite  exercise  of  walking  from 
sunrise  till  evening  ;  and  was  delighted,  after  the  lazi- 
ness and  languor  induced  by  the  iDurning  heat  of  last 
summer,  again  to  feel  the  elasticity  of  sinew  and  free- 
dom of  step  with  which  I  have  been  wont  to  tread  the 
moor  and  mountain  of  old  Scotland. 

One  of  my  long  rambles  led  me  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Chisholm,  one  of  a  large  and  respectable  family  who 
emio^rated  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Inveriiess,  and 
are  now  among  the  most  wealthy  and  thriving  tenants 
of  the  glades.  As  I  drew  near  to  the  farm  1  overtook 
a  man  whom  I  immediately  guessed  by  his  appearance 
to  be  the  laird.  He  did  not  hear  me  coming  along 
the  grass,  and  when  close  behind  him  1  called  out,  in 
Gaelic,  "It  is  a  fine  day,  to-day."  He  started  with 
surprise  at  this  salutation,  answered  it  by  welcoming 
me  to  his  house,  and  soon  made  me  regret  that  my 
knowledge  of  Gaelic,  confined  as  it  was  to  a  few  phrases, 
did  not  enable  me  to  carry  on  the  conversation  in  that 
languasre  ;  however,  we  "cracked"  long  over  scenes  of 
mutualinterest  and  recollection — the  wilds  of  Badenoch, 
the  woodlands  of  Inverishie,  and  the  ducal  mansion 
ot  Kinrara,  and  the  neighbouring  abode  of  Rothie- 
mnrkes. 

With  many  mingled  emotions  did  I  listen  to  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF   SCOTLAND  97 

tongue  that,  in  native  accents,  spoke  of  these  well- 
known  scenes.  They  may  be  of  little  interest  to  others, 
they  may  be  unknown  to  fame  ;  but  when  one  who 
has  highland  blood  in  his  veins — whose  early  foot  has 
trodden  the  heath-covered  mountain — whose  young 
memory  was  impregnated  with  the  wheeling  flight  of 
the  eagle,  the  timid  eye  and  free  bound  of  the  roe,  the 
hoarse  plash  of  the  waterfall  and  the  slumbering  loch, 
its  pebbled  margin  fringed  with  weeping  birch,  and  its 
bosom  reflecting  the  rugged  and  dusky  forms  of  the 
cliffs  and  promontories  by  which  it  is  indented — when 
such  a  one  feels  his  heart  unmoved,  his  spirit  unstirred 
by  these  recollections,  let  him  doff"  that  tartan  which 
has  well-earned  its  green  and  crimson  glory  in  many 
a  field  from  Bannockburn  to  Waterloo- — let  him  doff 

"  and  hang  a  calf-skin  on  his  recreant  limbs  !" 

In  no  other  part  of  the  world  has  my  national  pride 
been  more  gratified  than  in  this  country ;  which 
abounding  as  it  does  in  setders  from  every  nation  in 
Europe,  aflfords  a  fairer  opportunity  than  that  can  be 
found  at  home  of  comparing  their  respective  characters 
under  similar  circumstances.  1  think  1  can  affirm  with 
equal  truth  and  pleasure,  that  the  Scotchmen  who 
have  settled  in  the  United  States,  have  earned  for 
themselves  a  higher  average  character  for  honesty, 
perseverance,  and  enterprise,  than  their  rival  settlers 
from  any  other  part  of  the  old  world. 

The  worthy  and  estimable  man  under  whose  roof 
I  here  found  myself,  had,  when  a  boy,  herded  cattle 
and  sheep  on  the  hill-side  in  the  highlands.  On  arri- 
ving here,  his  sobriety  and  laborious  industry  had  pro- 
cured him  employment ;  in  a  short  lime  he  was  ena- 
bled to  buy  a  small  tract  of  land,  which  he  yearly  in- 
creased and  improved  •.  and  he  has  employed  the  leisurf 
hours  which  the  management  of  a  pasture  farm  allows 
during  the  winter,  in  repairing  the  defects  of  early 
education,  and  in  storing  his  mind  with  practical 
knowledge  and  general  information.  A  sister,  who 
acts  as  housekeeper,  has  joined  him ;  several  of  his 


98  SHOOTING. 

brothers  have  also  settled  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  and 
there  is  not  in  the  district  a  family  n:iore  highly  or 
deservedly  respected. 

It  could  have  little  interest  for  the  reader  were  I  to 
give  the  detail  of  my  sporting  life  in  the  Alleghanies. 
We  killed  a  good  number  of  deer,  and  sometimes  amu- 
sed ourselves  with  shooting  at  a  mark  for  small  wa- 
gers ;  on  these  latter  occasions,  I  witnessed  the  skill  of 
most  of  the  professional  hunters  in  the  district :  at  a 
short  distance  (from  twenty-five  to  fifty  yards)  they 
shot  with  much  precision  ;  but,  although  their  rifles 
are  so  long  and  heavy  in  metal,  their  performance  at 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  was  very  inferior  to  that  of 
many  sportsmen  whom  I  could  name  in  Britain.  When 
I  went  first  among  them,  they  were  rather  inclined  to 
jeer  at  my  light  short  rifle  carrying  two  large  balls  ; 
but,  after  a  i'ew  days  in  the  woods,  when  they  found 
that  I  could  frequently  hit  a  running  deer,  (a  shot 
which  they  rarely  attempted,)  their  disrespect  for  my 
weapon  was  much  diminished,  especially  as  they  often 
wounded  without  killing  their  deer  ;  while  my  heavy 
balls,  if  struck,  generaUy  gave  a  mortal,  or  at  least  a 
disabling  wound. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

Return  to  Washington.— The  Capitol.— The  Senate.— The  Ladies'  Gal- 
lery.— Debate  on  the  relations  with  France. — Mr.  Clay. — Mr.  Webster. 
— Public  Demonstration  on  the  Death  of  a  Citizen. — Attempt  upon  the 
Life  of  the  President — his  mirac\]lous  Escape. — Mr.  Calhoun. — Mount 
Vernon. — Observations  on  Washington's  Tomb. — Singular  Occurrence 
illustrative  of  the  State  of  Society  in  Louisiana. — Melancholy  Appear- 
ance of  the  City  of  Washington — its  Site. — Method  of  assessing  its  In- 

.  habitants. — Absence  of  local  attachment  in  American  Agriculturists 
contrasted  with  the  Scottish  Love  of  Country. 

From  the  glades  I  returned,  via  Romney  and  without 
accident,  to  Washington,  again  to  enjoy  the  luxuries  of 
agreeable  society  and  a  comfortable  home  ;  for  such  to 
me,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  did  Sir  C.  Vaughan 
render  his  house. 


THE    CAPITOL.  99 

My  first  object  of  curiosity  and  interest  was  natural- 
ly the  Congress,  and  I  accordingly  drove  to  the  Capi- 
tol ;  an  edifice  in  the  appearance  of  which  a  stranger, 
who  judges  from  the  relations  of  British  travellers,  will 
be  agreeably  surprised.  It  certainly  cannot  claim  the 
merit  of  simplicity  or  uniformity  of  character,  neither 
are  its  proportions  or  decorations  in  strict  oxcordance 
with  the  rules  of  Grecian  architecture  ;  but  the  efiect 
is  altogether  grand  and  imposing :  and  well  will  it  be 
for  America,  if  the  moral  materials  composing  its  con- 
gressional assembly  prove  as  well-proportioned  and  du- 
rable as  the  building  in  which  they  hold  their  sittings. 
The  circular  hall,  or  saloon,  in  which  are  four  entran- 
ces, to  the  vestibule,  the  library,  the  Senate,  and  the 
Hall  of  Representatives,  is  spacious,  and  well  lighted  by 
a  dome.  It  seems  a  favourite  lounging-place  for  idlers 
of  all  classes,  and  contains  four  pictures  by  Colonel 
Trumbull,  representing  scenes  connected  with  the  re- 
volutionary history.  On  this  account  they  may  be  in- 
teresting to  Americans,  but  to  a  lover  of  the  fine  arts 
they  offer  no  attraction  whatever.  The  Hall  of  Repre- 
sentatives is  a  spacious  semi-circular  apartment,  con- 
taining ofalleries  for  reporters  and  the  public,  and  hav- 
ing its  floor  furnished  with  an  elbow-chair  and  a  table 
for  each  member. 

It  happened,  when  I  arrived,  that  the  question  before 
the  house  was  not  one  of  much  importance  :  and  the 
scene,  for  the  time,  resembled  rather  a  large  club  or  cafe 
than  a  deliberative  assembly ;  for  certainly  three- 
fourths  of  the  members  were  writing  their  private  let- 
ters, reading  newspapers,  and  chatting  as  comfortably 
as  if  they  had  been  in  the  front  room  of  Brooke's  or 
White's.  This  hall,  from  its  dimensions  and  decora- 
tions, possesses  every  requisite  for  the  purpose  to  which 
it  is  appropriated,  except  one,  and  that  one  is  the  most 
vital :  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  hear  two  wordsl'n  five, 
uttered  by  a  speaker  of  ordinary  lungs.  I  have  been 
told,  that  Mr.  Clay,  when  he  was  in  that  house,  and 
some  few  others,  could  make  themselves  understood  ; 
but  I  think  I  never  saw  an  apartment  of  the  same  mag- 
nitude in  which  the  voice  was  so  completely  lost ;  and 


100  THE    SENATE. 

even  breathless  sileiice  will  not  avail  much,  as  there  is 
an  echo  which  so  mingles  the  present  with  the  prece- 
ding tones,  as  to  render  distinctness  altogether  impos- 
sible, except  by  means  of  the  very  slowest  ennnciation; 
a  method  quite  incompatible  with  the  vehement  and  re- 
dundant declamation,  which  is  one  of  the  leading  fea- 
tures of  American  oratory. 

The  Senate  is  of  much  smaller  size,  and  in  everyway 
better  adapted  for  argumentative  debate  :  it  is  also  fur- 
nished with  galleries  for  reporters  and  the  public,  and 
round  the  exterior  curve  of  the  semicircle,  on  the  floor, 
is  one  for  ladies,  and  for  those  who  have  leave  of  ad- 
mission from  senators  ;  while  in  the  base  of  the  semi- 
circle, behind  the  President's  chair,  is  a  large  recess 
open  to  members  of  the  other  house  and  to  foreign  mi- 
nisters. 

As  I  had  obtained  the  favour  of  the  entree  to  the  low- 
er, or  ladies'  gallery,  I  entered  there  and  found  every 
seat  occupied  by  a  fair  politician.  There  was  moreover, 
a  considerable  number  of  gentlemen  standing  to  hear 
the  discussion.  I  had  not  stood  there  more  than  five 
minutes,  when  one  of  the  door-keepers  was  sent  in  with 
a  chair  for  my  convenience.  I  was,  I  confess,  struck 
with  this  polite  attention  to  a  strano^er:  whether  I  was 
indebted  to  the  V  ice-President  or  to  some  other  senator 
for  it,  I  regretted  much  that  I  had  not  an  opportunity 
of  thanking  him  for  a  civility  which  I  have  much  plea- 
sure in  recordino^. 

The  discussion  being  upon  local  and  unimportant 
subjects,  I  did  not  remain  long  on  this  occasion,  but 
returned  a  few  days  atterwards,  to  hear  the  debate  up- 
on the  relations  with  France.  Tlie  circumstances 
connected  with  this  question  are  well-known.  The 
President,  in  his  message,  demanded  from  Congress 
provisional  authority  for  making  reprisals  upon  French 
property,  in  the  contingency  of  tlie  (continued  non- 
payment by  France  of  tlie  indemnity  promised  by  her 
in  the  treaty  of  1831  to  the  United  States.  In  order 
fully  to  understand  the  management  of  this  important 
question  in  the  Senate,  it  must  be  remembered,  that  in 
that  body  the  opposition  had  a  majority,  while  in  the 


MR.    CLAY.  101 

House  of  Representatives  they  were  in  a  minority. 
The  debate  was  opened  by  Mr.  Clay,  the  framer  of 
the  resohitions,  adopted  by  the  committee  on  foreign 
relations,  the  last  of  which  formed  the  ground-work  of 
the  present  motion,  "  that  it  was  inexpedient,  at  the 
^present  time,  to  grant  the  provisional  authority  re- 
quested by  the  President." 

It  is  well  known  that  Mr.  Clay  is  one  of  the  most 
vehement  and  eloquent  opponents  of  the  President's 
goverimient  ;  and  here  certainly  was  a  magnificent 
opportunity  for  displaying  those  peculiar  powers  which 
distinguish  his  oratory,  inasmuch  as  the  word  "  repri- 
sals" was  so  much  calculated  to  wound  the  pride  and 
dignity  of  France,  and  to  give  that  nation  a  plea  for 
breaking  off  all  further  negotiation  upon  the  subject. 
All  the  property  and  intelligence  of  America  were 
naturally  averse  to  a  war  with  France  ;  the  inevitable 
consequence  of  which,  even  if  successfnl,  must  be  an 
expense  of  money  threefold  greater  than  the  indemnity 
demanded  ;  and  Mr.  Clay  had  a  fine  occasion,  and  one 
which  none  could  have  improved  better  than  himself, 
of  uttering  a  philippic  against  the  government  for 
giving  France  so  fair  an  excuse  for  transferring  the 
question  from  her  diplomatists  to  her  admirals :  but 
he  took  a  wiser  and  more  statesman-like  course  ;  and 
in  a  speech  at  once  able,  temperate,  and  eloquent  ar- 
gued the  expediency  of  deferring  any  legislative  mea- 
sure in  regard  to  the  relations  with  France — he  depre- 
cated all  national  division  and  dissension  on  this  ques- 
tion, and  expressed  his  willingness  to  modify  his  mo- 
tion, so  as  to  secure  a  unanimous  vote  upon  the  occa- 
sion. 

The  speeches  of  most  of  those  who  took  part  in  the 
debate  adopted  a  similar  tone  ;  and  a  resolution,  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Webster,  and  slightly  altered  by  Mr. 
Clay's  original  motion,  was  carried  unanimously. 

The  whole  debate  was  highly  creditable  both  to  the 
temper  and  ability  of  the  holise,  and  that  not  so  much 
from  what  was  said,  as  from  what  was  7iot  said,  on  a  ques- 
tion touching  national  vanity,  and  perhaps  almost  na- 
tional honour,  and  when  it  was  so  difficult  to  avoid  expres- 

I* 


102  MR.    CLAY. 

sions  irritating"  to  the  feelings  of  the  respective  parties 
to  the  treaty.  The  original  sentence  in  the  President's 
message  which  caused  the  debate,  has  been  much 
censured  for  its  imprudence  —  whether  justly  or  not, 
is  a  matter  of  doubt.  In  all  such  inquiries  the  object 
in  view  must  be  first  clearly  ascertained.  If  that  ob- 
ject was  to  maintain  peace  with  France  by  every 
means  compatible  with  the  honour  of  the  United  States, 
the  paragraph  in  question  was  imprudent ;  but  the 
President  was  probably  influenced  by  other  views. 
No  man,  much  less  a  stranger,  has  a  right  to  impute 
motives  ;  but  they  are  to  any  observer  a  fair  and  open 
field  for  conjecture ;  and  it  is  possible,  that  the  Presi- 
dent was  not  very  averse  to  a  little  quarrel  with  France, 
seeing  that  his  revenue  was  unburthened,  and  that 
such  a  national  cause  was  calculated  to  cement  that 
union  between  the  States,  which  various  conflicting 
accidents  and  interests  had  occasionally  threatened  to 
weaken,  since  the  last  war. 

To  return  to  Mr.  Clay  : — his  manner  and  voice  are 
both  admirably  adapted  for  a  leader  in  a  popular 
assembly ;  ttie  former  is  earnest  and  energetic  (though 
perhaps  deficient  in  that  grace  and  dignity  which 
characterize  the  oratory  of  Earl  Grey)  ;  the  latter  is 
full  and  manly;  and  though  its  tones  cannot  be 
pronounced  musical,  still  they  are  modulated  to  the 
subject-matter,  and  produce  upon  the  hearer  that  most 
powerful  of  all  effects — a  conviction  that,  if  provoked, 
the  lion,  could  roar  yet  more  terribly.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  this  last-mentioned  principle,  (he  Miltonian 
reader  may  remember  with  what  mighty  force  that 
great  master  has  applied  it,  when,  after  describing  the 
power,  and  strength,  and  terror,  with  which  the  Son 
drove  upon,  and  overthrew  the  rebellious  host  of  angels, 
he  concludes — 


"  Yet  half  his  strenarth  he  put  not  forth,  but  checked 
His  anger  in  mid- volley." 

Mr.  Webster  spoke  a  few  words  upon  this  question, 
but  they  were  delivered  with  that  grave   impressive 


ATTEMPT  TO  KILL    THE    PRESIDENT.  103 

manner,  resulting  from  conscious  power.  In  a  cause 
where  the  result  was  dependent  upon  loofical  argument 
and  profound  knowledge  of  constitutional  law,  I  should 
imagine  that  Mr.  Webster  would  find  few  equals,  and 
no  superior,  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic  ;  but,  in 
directing  the  impulse  and  exciting  the  passions  of  a 
popular  assembly,  he  is,  probably,  less  successful  than 
Mr.  Clay. 

About  this  time  a  member  of  Congress  died  suddenly, 
in  consequence  of  which  the  houses  adjourned  for 
two  days.  The  respective  members  wore  a  crape  on 
the  arm,  and  the  greater  part  attended  his  funeral.  It  ^ 
may  not  be  irrelevant  here  to  remark,  that  the  death 
of  a  citizen  in  one  of  the  Atlantic  cities  of  the  United 
States  produces  a  greater  sensation,  and  is  accompanied 
with  more  demonstration  of  respect,  than  a  similar 
event  in  any  other  country  which  I  have  seen.  If  a 
member  of  Congress  dies,  the  houses  adjourn,  as  above- 
mentioned  ;  if  a  weahhy  and  influential  merchant  dies, 
as  was  lately  the  case  in  Baltimore,  his  funeral  is 
attended  by  great  numbers  of  his  fellow-citizens,  inde- 
pendently ot  his  relatives  :  and  even  the  flags  of  the 
shipping  in  harbour  are  hoisted  half-mast  high.  Simi- 
lar instances  might  be  adduced  in  other  walks  of  life. 

At  the  public  funeral  of  the  member  of  congress 
above-mentioned,  an  attempt  was  made  upon  the  life 
of  the  President,  the  failure  of  which  can  only  be  at- 
tributed to  a  Providential  interference,  such  as  the  scep- 
tic may  deny,  or  the  thoughtless  worldling  may  ridi- 
cule, but  which  is  at  the  same  time  more  consonant 
with  religion  and  reason  than  a  belief  m  the  wonderful 
coincidence  of  fortuitous  circumstances,  necessary  to 
produce  the  same  result.  The  wretch  who  attempted 
this  murder  (and  who  appears  to  labour  under  that 
dangerous  kind  of  insanity  which  just  trembles  upon 
the  verge  of  responsibility,)  stood  only  a  few  feet  from 
the  President,  under  the  portico  of  the  Capitol.  He 
deliberately  snapped  a  pistol  at  him,  which  missed  fire, 
and  before  his  arm  could  be  arrested,  he  drew  another 
from  his  pocket,  snapped  it,  and  it  also  missed  fire, 
when  he  was  knocked  down  and  secured.     On  exam- 


104  MR.  CALHOUN. 

ination  it  was  found,  that  both  pistols  were  new,  both 
carefully  loaded  with  ball  and  g-ood  powder  ;  yet  both 
the  detonating  caps  exploded  without  igniting  the 
charofo.  I  had  this  account  from  several  gentlemen, 
who  were  close  to  the  President  at  the  time  ;  and  on 
the  trial  which  followed,  it  was  established  and  re- 
corded by  legal  process.  Let  the  "  Doctrinaries"  of 
chance  account  for  it  as  they  can. 

The  old  General  showed  his  ancient  and  undoubted 
courage  upon  the  occasion.  When  the  first  pistol  was 
snapped  at  him,  he  looked  straight  at,  and  icent  straight 
towards  the  wretch  who  held  it ;  and  when  the  second 
was  presented,  he  never  swerved,  but  attacked  his  op- 
ponent with  a  stout  stick,  which  he  usually  carries. — 
Had  not  a  blow  from  some  other  hand  anticipated  his 
intention,  he  would  probably  have  spared  the  law  the 
trouble  of  investigating  the  matter. 

It  is  singular  how  little  noise  or  feeling  the  occur- 
rence seems  to  have  excited,  except  in  the  shameless 
and  villainous  instance  of  one  or  two  scribblers  in  the 
government  newspapers,  who  wished  to  attiibute  the 
attempt  at  assassination  to  the  effect  produced  by  the 
speeches  of  Mr.  Calhoun.  The  character  of  that  gen- 
tleman needs  no  defence  or  refutation  of  such  calum- 
nies. He  is  indeed  one  of  the  most  distinguished  men 
in  the  Union.  His  name  is  familiar  to  Europe  as  the 
great  champion  of  the  Southern  States,  and  the  pillar 
of  that  nullification  question  which  threatened  atone 
time  to  dismember  the  confederation.  His  manner  is 
lofty  and  commanding  ;  his  eye,  searching,  keen,  and 
deeply  set  under  a  considerate  brow.  He  is  an  acute 
reasoner,  and  the  analytic  power  of  his  mind  is  most 
remarkable.  Some  there  are  who  consider  him  as  a 
more  eminent  statesman  than  either  Clay  or  Webster : 
this  is  a  question  that  I  do  not  feel  able  or  called  upon 
to  decide.  That  they  are  all  three  men  of  whom 
America  has  just  reason  to  be  proud,  is  a  truth  to  which 
I  have  much  pleasure  in  here  recording  my  testimony. 

On  the  2d  of  February  I  went  to  visit  the  tomb  of 
the  illustrious  Washington,  at  Mount  Vernon,  where 
he  resided  chiefly  daring  the  last  few  years  of  his  life. 


MOUNT    VERNON.  105 

It  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  about  six- 
teen miles  below  the  Capital.  The  road  thither,  as  far 
as  Alexandria,  is  tolerably  good  ;  but  the  last  eight 
miles  partake  of  the  usual  Virginian  variety  of  holes, 
stones,  and  mud.  Indeed,  it  appears  as  if  the  Ameri- 
can pilgrims  to  the  tomb  of  their  great  founder  had 
determined  to  self-inflict  the  penances  imposed  upon 
the  Catholic  devotees  going  to  the  shrine  of  a  patron 
saint ;  except  that  the  peas  in  the  shoes  of  the  latter, 
even  if  unboiled,  are  far  preferable  to  the  neck-twisting 
rib-breaking  jolts  voluntarily  endured  by  the  former. 
However,  1  speak  rather  from  what  I  saw  than  from 
what  I  felt,  inasmuch  as  I,  and  several  others  of  the 
party,  went  on  horseback. 

The  situation  of  Mount  Vernon  is  on  a  pleasant  em- 
inence, commanding  a  view  of  the  river  ;  the  grounds 
about  the  house  are  undulating  and  well  wooded. 
Altogether  it  must  be  a  very  agreeable  summer  resi- 
dence. Everything  is  left,  as  nearly  as  possible,  in  the 
same  state  as  when  it  was  occupied  by  its  great  pos- 
sessor. The  books,  the  writing-table,  the  small  ver- 
andah, where  he  used  to  walk  ;  the  key  of  the  Bastile, 
sent  him  by  La  Fayette — all  remain  unaltered  and  un- 
removed,  as  if  he  had  died  but  yesterday  ;  and  all  con- 
tribute to  interest  the  observer,  by  admitting  him,  in 
fancy,  to  an  intimacy  with  the  illustrious  hero,  while 
they  bear  collateral  evidence  to  that  unostentatious  sim- 
plicity of  character  justly  assigned  to  him  by  history. 

Leaving  the  house,  we  went  out  towards  the  tomb 
where  his  ashes  repose  ;  and  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the 
overwhelminof  feelinofs  with  which  I  viewed  it.  We 
were  first  shown  the  spot  where  his  remains  had  been 
deposited  previously  to  their  removal  to  their  present 
situation, — a  melancholy  mound  of  earth,  shadowed 
by  a  few  cypresses,  the  hollow  void  within  scarcely 
protected  by  a  scanty  grating  from  the  desecrations  of 
ignorant  childhood,  idle  mischief,  or  filthy  vermin  ! 
The  spot  to  which  his  remains  have  within  the  last 
few  years  been  removed,  is  a  vault  in  the  side  of  a  bank, 
also  shadowed  by  a  few  dwarf  shrubs,  and  protected 
from  the  air  by  an  iron  door.     The  building,  iil  it  can 


106  Washington's  tomb. 

be  called  one,  is  amiserable  looking  brick  hovel.  Over 
the  door  is  an  inscription  from  the  Bible — respectable 
and  venerable  on  that  account,  bat  as  applicable  to  the 
humblest  peasant,  as  to  the  great  sleeper  beneath. 

I  hope  I  do  not  attach  any  improper  importance  nor 
any  bigotted  reverence  to  mere  sepulchral  decoration 
or  magnificence ;  still  I  own  that  I  could  not  here  re- 
press my  feelings  of  indignation  and  disgust  !  The 
memory  of  Washington  is  dear  to,  and  revered  by,  not 
only  America,  but  mankind  ;  and  mankind  had  a  right, 
according  to  all  the  rules  of  good  taste,  good  feeling, 
and  good  example,  to  expect,  either  that  the  illustrious 
dust  should  have  been  allowed  to  remain  in  the  sim- 
ple mound  where  it  first  slept,  shadowed  by  the  melan- 
choly boughs  that  first  waved  over  it,  and  hallowing  the 
soil  where  it  had  first  sought  repose  from  the  cares  of 
life  :  or,  if  it  had  been  removed,  it  should  have  been  to 
a  sepulchre  worthy  of  its  name  and  glory,  and  not  to  a 
wretched  vault,  to  which  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  affirm, 
that  a  British  nobleman  would  have  been  almost  asha- 
med to  consign  the  remains  of  a  faithful  old  depen- 
dant ! 

It  is  vain  here  to  urge  the  well-known  and  splendid 
truths  that  have  been  uttered  over  the  spots  consecrated 
by  departed  greatness.  To  no  one  who  ever  lived  is 
the  glorious  Periclean  eulogy  of  liuda  y7\  rucpog  more 
applicable  than  to  Washington  ;  nor  is  the  celebrated 
inscription  in  St.  Paul's  to  Tts  architect,  "  Si  monumen- 
tum,  requiris  circumspice,"  less  so.  These  sentiments 
merely  prove  that  the  fame  and  glory  of  the  illustrious 
dead  can  neither  be  diminished  nor  tarnished  by  the 
neglect  of  their  countrymen  :  but  does  that  palliate  or 
excuse  such  neglect?  I  am  aware  that  some  reasons 
are  adduced  in  justification  of  the  conduct  here  censur- 
ed. The  public  is  informed,  that  it  was  W^ashington's 
wish  that  his  remains  might  be  deposited  in  a  particu- 
lar place,  and  that  his  family  are  not  sufficiently  opu- 
lent to  raise  a  worthy  monument  to  his  memory.  These 
are  but  shallow  pretexts,  or,  at  best,  groundless  argu- 
ments :  the  commands  of  the  living,  in  such  cases,  are 
binding  only  on  their  immediate  relations,  and  during 


SINGULAR    OCCURRENCE.  107 

the  freshness  of  their  grief;  after  which  disobedience 
to  thein  may  be  an  incumbent  duty.  With  this  good 
and  holy  purpose  America  should,  after  a  decent  time, 
have  exceeded  the  injunctions  of  her  parent,  and  her 
filial  disobedience  would  have  been  applauded  by  the 
luiiversal  consent  of  mankind. 

About  this  time  I  read  in  a  New  Orleans  newspa- 
per the  following  occurrence,  illustrative  of  the  state  of 
society  in  Louisiana  : — '•  On  the  3rd  of  February  1835, 
a  little  before  the  usual  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  Mr.  J.  Grymes,  a  distinguished  law- 
yer of  New  Orleans,  entered  the  hall ;  and  advancing 
towards  Mr.  Labranche,  the  Speaker  of  the  House, 
raised  his  cane  and  struck  him ;  whereupon  Mr.  L. 
drew  a  pistol,  and  fired  at  Mr.  G.  the  ball  passed  through 
the  lappet  of  his  coat ;  he  immediately  drew  a  pistol, 
and  fired  at  Mr.  L.  who  fell  wounded.  After  a  long 
dispute  as  to  the  right  of  the  house  to  try  Mr.  G.  for 
this  assault,  it  was  carried  in  the  aflirmative,  and  he 
was  brought  up  to  the  bar  and  reprimanded  P^ 

The  month  of  March  having  now  arrived  ;  and  as 
the  rivers  had  become  navigable,  and  the  roads  were 
supposed  to  be  passable,  I  began  to  meditate  an  excur- 
sion to  Richmond  and  other  parts  of  Virginia.  The 
Congress  had  broken  up  on  the  4th,  and  with  it  tlie  bus- 
tle and  gaiety  of  Washington  society.  Every  day  an- 
nounced new  departures  ;  and  the  scattered  village,  de- 
nominated a  city,  began  to  assume  the  silent  and  me- 
lancholy appearance  which  is  natural  to  its  construc- 
tion, and  which  is  only  partially  cheered  by  the  stirring 
season  of  congress.  In  truth  it  is  impossible  to  imagine 
a  more  comfortless  situation  for  a  town,  or  a  town  more 
foolishly  and  uncomfortably  laid  out.  The  houses  are 
small,  and  their  walls  thin  ;  the  streets  are  so  broad  as 
to  render  the  insignificant  appearance  of  the  buildings 
more  remarkable  ;  and  the  dust  in  dry  weather  is  only 
to  be  equalled  in  annoyance  by  the  filth  and  mud  after 
rain.  The  only  tolerable  street  is  the  Pennsylvania 
Avenue,  which  is  above  a  mile  long,  and  is  the  best 
piece  of  macadamized  road  in  the  United  States ;  but 
they   appear    never    to    scrape    the  dust  off ;    and 


108  CITY    OF  WASHINGTON. 

I  have  been  more  nearly  blinded  and  choked  there,  after 
three  days  of  dry  weather  in  March,  than  I  have  been  in 
Rotten Rowon a  Sunday  in  June  ;  though  in  the  former 
case  the  dust  was  raised  by  one  solitary  hackney-coach, 
aud  the  latter  was  the  joint  production  of  horses  and 
carriages  to  be  counted  by  thousands. 

Mauy  streets  are  in  embryo,  many  only  in  prescience, 
or  rather  imagination,  where  their  existence  will  pro- 
bably terminate  as  it  began.  Paradise-row  must  be 
content  to  be  "  represented''  by  one  small  brick  shop  or 
store — Pleasant-place,  by  two  groceries  and  a  livery- 
stable — while  Prospect-place  may,  with  its  two  or  three 
separate  and  humble  tenements,  continue  to  look  over 
the  damp  swampy  flat  extending  from  the  town  to  the 
Potomac. 

The  o^reater  part  of  the  site  of  Washington  is  proba- 
bly the  bottom  of  an  old  lake,  of  which  the  Capitol  Hill 
formed  one  of  the  borders  ;  and  though  the  preceding 
names  are  jestingly  adduced,  the  joke  is  not  very  far 
from  the  truth.  The  inhabitants  seem  to  have  persist- 
ed, in  defiance  equally  of  experience  and  common  sense 
in  believing  that  their  city  was  one  day  to  become  the 
centre  of  wealth  and  commerce,  as  it  is  of  legislation ; 
and  appeared  to  overlook  the  trifling  impediments  that 
the  soil  of  all  the  neighbouring  country  is  wretchedly 
poor,  that  the  channel  of  the  Potomac  is  so  shallow  that 
neither  merchant  ship  nor  frigate,  nor  any  craft  of  five 
hundred  tons  burthen,  can  come  up  to  their  harbour  of 
George-town  ;  and  that,  moreover,  they  must  compete 
with  the  neighbouring  wealthy  and  flourishing  town  of 
Baltimore. 

In  pursuance  of  their  commercial  dreams,  they  have 
carried  on  a  canal,  parallel  for  many  miles  witli  the 
stream  of  the  Potomac,  upon  borrowed  Dutch  capital ; 
the  interest  of  which  they  are  unable  to  pay  without  a 
yearly  begging  petition  to  Congress,  who  will  in  the 
end  be  obliged  also  to  pay  the  principal.* 

♦  I  liave  been  informed  that  the  rivalry  and  jealousy  between  the  two 
towns  of  Alexandria  and  George-iown  was  the  real  cause  of  the  present 
location  of  the  capital,  each  ot  them  wishing;  to  become  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment.    Either  ol  ihem  would  iii  fact,  be  much  more  desirable  situations  : 


METHOD   OF    ASSESSMENT.  109 

The  funds  for  defraying  the  ordinary  mimicipai  ex- 
penses, such  as  constables,  street-paving,  lighting,  (fee. 
are  raised  by  assessment  on  the  inhabitants,  imposed 
by  the  corporation,  amounting  upon  an  average  to 
three-quarters  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  property  of  each 
individual.  This  method  is  very  commonly  practised 
in  America,  and  appears,  in  political  phrase,  to  "  work 
very  well." 

What  renders  this  tax  peculiarly  heavy  in  Washing- 
ton is,  that  the  city  is  laid  out  in  lots,  four-fifths  of 
which  are  unoccupied  and  totally  profitless.  These 
are  valued,  rated,  and  assessed  by  the  corporation,  as 
if  they  were  built  upon  and  paid  a  rent.  The  only 
appeal  from  their  assessment  is  to  themselves,  in  ano- 
ther form  of  sitting;  the  redress  to  be  obtained,  and 
the  equity  observed,  may  be  estimated  by  those  who 
knew  the  working  of  the  old  burgh  system  in  Scotland. 
''  In  fact,  the  town  of  Washington  was  overwhelmed  by 
debt,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  mortgaged  to  different 
banks,  before  they  subscribed  the  million  dollars  to  the 
great  canal.  Consequently,  the  few  who  possessed 
any  property  free  of  debt  voted  against  that  subscrip- 
tion, knowing  that  the  weight  of  it  must  fall  upon 
them  ;  but  the  majority,  whose  property  was  already 
mortgaged,  and  who  had  nothing,  were  of  course 
liberal"  and  "  patriotic"  subscribers  on  the  occasion. 
In  fact,  it  may  be  safely  afiirmed,  that  unless  Congress 
pays  the  debt,  the  whole  city  of  Washington  (with  the 
exception  of  the  Capitol  Hill  and  other  lots  belonging 

one  from  its  commercial  advantages,  the  other  from  its  greater  facility  to 
inland  communication  and  trade.  As  their  disputes  were  irreconcilable 
the  capital  was  placed  between  them.  I  can  scarcely  conceive  how  the 
public,  and  the  able  men  who  then  guided  it,  should  allow  their  decision 
on  so  important  a  question  to  be  influenced  by  the  jealousies  of  these  small 
towns  ;  but  my  informant  (Mr.  L.)  was  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  sena- 
tor, and  his  account  deserves  record.  I  cannot  help  believing  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  those  who  founded  the  Capital  that  it  never  should  be  a 
great  manufacturing  or  commercial  city,  from  a  fear  of  its  acquiring  too 
great  an  influence,  moral  or  physical,  over  the  public  councils.  The  re- 
ports that  have  attributed  its  situation  to  the  personal  motives  of  General 
"Washington,  false  and  -malignant  as  they  are,  drop  harmless  from  the 
rocky  integrity  of  his  character. 

K 


110  TAXE^. 

to  the  public)  must  soon  be  for  sale,  and  be  the  pro^ 
perty  of  the  Dutch  bankers. 

But  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  Washingtonians, 
or  other  citizens  of  America,  are  subject  only  to  this 
trifling  tax  ;  there  are,  in  atldition,  taxes  on  hackney- 
coaches,  taxes  on  tavern-licenses,  taxes  on  dogs,  and 
others,  which  raise  almost  as  fine  a  crop  of  grumblers 
and  complainers  as  the  assessed  taxes  in  Britain  can 
produce.  I  remember  talking  to  an  intelligent  Ameri- 
can farmer  upon  the  subject  of  public  burthens  ;  and, 
upon  comparing  the  sum  paid  by  him  in  proportion  to 
the  yearly  profit  of  his  farm,  I  calculated  that  it  was 
much  in  the  same  ratio  with  that  paid  by  a  farmer  in 
the  north  of  England  or  south  of  Scotland.  Nor  are 
the  other  circumstances  connected  with  his  position  so 
much  more  favourable  to  the  American  farmer  as  they 
would  appear  to  a  superficial  observer.  He  can  buy 
his  horses  cheaper,  his  food  cheaper,  his  land  cheaper, 
and  his  taxes,  direct  and  indirect,  are  lower  ;  but  his 
shoes,  and  linen,  and  cloth,  are  dearer  and  worse  in 
quality  ;  his  labour  is  dearer  ;  his  farming  utensils  are 
also  dearer  :  in  fact,  the  chief  advantage  which  he  en- 
joys can  scarcely  be  termed  such  in  fair  or  philosophi- 
cal language,  namely,  he  can  (and  frequently  does) 
exhaust  his  land,  by  demanding  from  it  a  perpetual 
succession  of  strong  crops  ;  knowing  that  when  he 
has  worked  it  out  he  can  take  in  more  in  his  neigh- 
bourhood, or  move  off  to  the  West,  where  the  proceeds 
of  sale,  even  of  his  exhausted  farm,  will  enable  him  to 
purchase  as  much  of  the  finest  soil  in  the  world  as  he 
can  attempt  to  cultivate. 

Of  course,  these  remarks  only  apply,  in  comparison, 
to  the  proprietary  class  of  farmers  in  England,  who 
are  much  fewer  in  number  than  those  who  pay  rent. 
This  is  a  separate  branch  of  the  subject,  and  cannot  be 
touched  upon  here,  as  it  depends  altogether  on  the 
amount  of  rent  in  proportion  to  profit  or  produce. 
That  there  are  profits,  is  undoubtedly  true  ;  but  they 
are  not  so  high,  nor  so  enviable,  as  they  are  usually 
represented.  Nor  does  the  American  occupant  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  the  best  land  spend  more  upon  the 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  life,  than  the  occupant  of  two 


SCOTCH    SETTLERS.  Ill 

hundred  acres  of  similar  land  in  Yorkshire  or  in  the 
Lothians, — although  the  produce  of  his  farm  returns 
him  nominally  twelve  per  cent,  for  his  invested  capi- 
tal :  that  of  the  British  farmer  scarcely  six,  exclusive 
of  expenses. 

This  question  requires  a  closer  examination  of  de- 
tail  than  can  be  expected  in  a  narrative  like  this,  be- 
fore its  discussion  can  lead  to  any  useful  result ;  espe- 
cially as  the  soil,  climate,  public  burthens,  price  of 
labour,  and  other  circumstances,  vary  so  widely  in  the 
different  states,  that  an  estimate  formed  accurately  in 
Virginia  or  Massachusetts  will  be  quite  erroneous  if 
applied  to  Ohio  or  Michigan. 

The  American  agriculturists  seem  to  have  little  local 
attachment.  A  New  Englander  or  Yirginian,  though 
proud  and  vain  of  his  state,  will  move  off  to  Missouri 
or  Illinois,  and  leave  the  home  of  his  childhood  with- 
out any  visible  effort  or  symptom  of  regret,  if  by  so 
doing  he  can  make  ten  dollars  where  he  before  made 
eight.  I  have  seen  such  repeated  instances  of  this 
that  I  cannot  help  considering  it  a  national  feature. 

How  different  this  is  from  the  Scottish  character 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  a  band  of  high- 
landers,  of  the  Cameron  and  other  Jacobite  clans,  left 
Scotland,  after  the  rebellion  of  '45,  and  settled  in  Vir- 
ginia. They  were  so  rmmerous,  that  for  many  years 
afterwards  the  local  courts  were  obliged  to  have  a 
Gaelic  interpreter,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  requisite 
business  in  regard  to  witnesses  and  juries  ;  and  although 
the  place  where  they  fixed  their  abode  was  cheerless 
in  appearance  and  the  soil  very  poor,  they  have  by 
perseverance  and  industry  improved  and  rendered  it 
comfortable  ;  and  are  as  unwilling  to  quit,  that  spot,  in 
search  of  the  fertile  plains  of  the  Mississippi,  as  they 
were  to  leave  their  original  country. 


112  <iUlT  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Quit  Washington  for  a  Tour  in  Virginia. — Voyage  down  the  Potomac 
in  the  Champion  Steamer. — Land  Journey  to  Fredericksburgh. — 
Wretched  Road. — Arrival  at  Fredericksburgh, — The  Town. — House 
of  Judge  Coalter — hospitable  Reception  by  that  Gentleman. — Wiiters 
in  the  Public  Press. — Journey  from  Fredericksburgh  to  Richmond. — 
Perpetual  Danger  of  being  upset. — Arrival  at  Richmond. — The 
Town — its  Society. — Judge  Marshall — his  House. — Ladies  of  Rich-' 
mond. — Embark  on  the  James  River. — Intermarriages  of  the  Resi- 
dents on  its  Shores. — Plantations  cultivated  by  Slaves. — Treatment 
of  the  Slaves. — Necessity  for  corporal  Punishment. — Expense  of 
keeping  Slaves. — The  Negro  Character. — Domestic  and  farm-labour- 
ing Slaves. — Overseers. — Marriage  of  Slaves — their  Religion. — 
Agriculture  on  the  Banks  of  James  River. — Law  of  Primogeniture. 
— Embark  in  |the  Patrick  Henry  Steamer. — Region  visited  by  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh. — Cruelty  of  early  Settlers. — James-town. — Indif- 
ference of  the  American  People  to  sepulchral  Relics. — Ruins  of  the 
former  Governor's  Palace.^ — College  endowed  by  William  and  Mary. 
— New  Fortification  at  Old  Point. — Arrival  at  Norfolk. — Bay_of  the 
Chesapeake. — Return  to  Washington. 

On  the  27ih  of  March  I  quitted  Washington,  to  make 
a  short  tour  in  the  districts  of  Virginia  adjacent  to  the 
James  river;  comprising  Richmond,  the  present  capital, 
WilHamsburgh,  the  former  seat  of  colonial  government^ 
Norfolk,  and  other  towns. 

The  first  part  of  the  journey  is  by  steam-boat,  descend- 
ing the  Potomac  about  sixty  miles.  The  banks  of  this 
river,  after  passing  Mount  Vernon,  are  uninteresting,  and 
I  did  not  regret  the  speed  of  the  Champion,  which  per- 
formed that  distance  in  somewhat  less  than  five  hours  ; 
but  this  rate  of  travelling  was  amply  neutralized  by  the 
movement  of  the  stage  which  conveyed  me  from  the 
landing-place  to  Fredericksburgh.  I  was  informed  that 
the  distance  was  only  twelve  miles,  and  I  was  weak 
enough  (in  spite  of  my  previous  experience)  to  imagine 
that  two  hours  would  bring  me  thither,  especially  as  the 
stage  was  drawn  by  six  good  nags,  and  driven  by  a  live- 
ly cheerful  fellow  ;  but  the  road  bade  defiance  to  all 
these  advantages — it  was,  indeed,  such  as  to  compel  me 
to  laugh  outright,.  n.otwilhstaiiding  the  constant  and  se- 


JOURNEY  TO  FREDERICKSBURGH.  113 

vere  bumping  to  which  it  subjected  both  the  intellectual 
and  sedentary  parts  of  my  person. 

I  had  before  tasted  the  sweets  of  mud-holes,  huge 
stones,  and  remnants  of  pine-trees,  standing  and  cut 
down  ;  but  here  was  something  new,  namely,  a  bed  of 
reddish-coloured  clay,  from  one  to  two  feet  deep,  so  ad- 
hesive that  the  wheels  were  at  times  literally  not  visible  in 
any  one  spot  from  the  box  to  the  tire,  and  the  poor  horses' 
feet  sounded,  when  they  drew  them  out  (as  a  fellow- 
traveller  observed),  like  the  report  of  a  pistol.  I  am 
sorry  that  I  w^as  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  che- 
mistry or  mineralogy  to  analyze  that  wonderful  clay,  and 
state  its  constituent  parts  ;  but  if  I  were  now  called  upon 
to  give  a  receipt  for  a  mess  most  nearly  resembling  it, 
I  would  write,  "  Recipe — (nay,  I  must  write  the  ingre- 
dients in  English,  for  fear  of  taxing  my  Latin  learning 
too  severely) — 

OrJinary  clay                  .  .                  ,         1  lb. 

Do.  Pitch               .  .                 .                   1  lb. 

Bird-lime       .                 .  .                 ,         6-  oz. 

Putty     .                 .  .                 .                  6  oz. 

Glue               .                 .  .                 .         1  lb. 

Red  Lead,  or  colouring  matter  .                   6  oz. 

Fait  haustus — cegrot.  terq.  quaterq.  quatiend." 

Whether  the  foregoing,  with  a  proper  admixture  of 
hills,  holes,  stumps,  and  rocks,  made  a  satisfactory 
draught  or  not,  I  will  refer  to  the  unfortunate  team — T, 
alas  !  can  answer  for  the  effectual  application  of  the 
second  part  of  the  prescription,  according  to  the  Joe 
Miller  version  of  "  When  taken,  to  be  well  shaken  !" 

I  arrived,  however,  without  accident  or  serious  bodily 
injury,  at  Fredericksburgh,  having  been  only  three  hours 
and  a  half  in  getting  over  the  said  twelve  miles  ;  and,  in 
justice  to  the  driver,  I  must  say  that  I  very  much  doubt 
whether  any  crack  London  whip  could  have  driven  those 
horses  over  that  ground  in  the  same  time  :  there  is  not 
a  sound  that  can  emanate  from  human  lungs,  nor  an  ar- 
gument of  persuasion  that  can  touch  the  feelings  of  a 
horse,  that  he  did  not  employ,  with  a  perseverance  and 
success  which  commanded  my  admiration. 


114  FKEDFRICKSBTTRGfEr 

Fredericksburgh  is  prettily  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rappahannoc,  which  flows  nearly  round  it.  It  does  not 
seem  a  very  busy  or  thriving  place,  although  the  dis- 
covery, which  has  lately  been  made,  of  gold  in  the 
neighbouring  mountains,  has  called  a  mining  company 
into  existence,  and  may,  if  it  realizes  their  expectation, 
increase  the  importance  and  wealth  of  the  town  beyond 
calculation.  As  I  was  not  able  to  visit  the  mines,  and 
am,  moreover,  no  mineralogist,  I  am  unable  to  calculate 
the  probabilities  of  the  case  ;  but  certainly,  many  of  the 
specimens  shown  to  me  by  the  Secretary  of  the  company 
indicated  a  great  abundance  of  the  precious  metals. 

A  wooden  bridge  is  thrown  across  the  river,  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  which  stands  Chatham,  the  house  of 
Judge  Coalter.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  an  eminence, 
a-&mmanding  a  view  of  the  town,  and  of  the  bold  sweep- 
ing course  of  the  Rappahannoc,  whose  wanderings  the  eye 
may  trace  up  to  Falmouth,  a  pretty  village,  where  they 
are  made  to  lend  their  aid  to  some  extensive  flour-mills^ 
established  by  Mr.  Gordon,  a  Scottish  proprietor,  and 
one  of  the  richest  (as  I  am  informed)  in  Virgina. 

The  first  glance  at  Mr.  Coalter^s  house  impressed  me 
■with  the  idea  that  it  was  of  anti-revolutionary  date  :  the 
old  brown-coloured  bricks,  the  strait  green  walks  in  the 
terraced  garden,  and  the  formal  grenadier  row  of  stately 
poplars,  all  betokened  the  old  dominion.  The  family 
not  being  at  heme,  T  asked,  and  obtained,  permission  to 
view  the  river  and  valley  from  the  garden,  which  I  enjoyed 
with  much  pleasure  for  some  time.  As  I  was  on  the 
point  of  retiring  the  judge  returned,  and  politely  interrupt- 
ed my  apologies  for  intrusion  by  an  invitation  to  go  in 
and  take  a  glass  of  Madeira,  Agreeably  to  this  hospita- 
ble arrangement,  I  entered  a  small  entrance-hall^  floored 
wiih  polished  pine  boards  ;  the  wainscotting  of  the  par- 
lour attracted  my  notice,  when  the  Judge  informed  me, 
that  the  house  was  of  that  date  which  I  supposed,  and 
had  been  built  by  a  Mr.  Fitzhugh,  well  known  at  the 
time. 

Judge  Coalter  is  a  favourable,  but  not  unfrequent 
specimen  of  the  best  class  of  American  elderly  gentle- 
aitn  f  lie  is  plain,  courteous,  and  hospitable  in  his  man- 


JUDGE    COALTER.  115 

ner,  well-informed  on  agricultural  subjects,  and  with  a 
high  reputation  as  a  lawyer.  Having  begun  with  that 
melancholy  cypher  0,  for  his  fortune,  he  has  the  merit 
of  having  raised  himself  by  his  ability,  industry,  and  in- 
tegrity, to  the  highest  rank  in  his  profession,  and  enjoys, 
in  his  retirement,  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  his  neigh- 
bours. These  estimable  qualities  are  lodged  in  a  fornfi 
that  seemed  well  calculated  to  resist  the  attacks  of  time 
or  disease,  and  are  portrayed  in  a  countenance  combin- 
ing, with  singular  force,  frankness,  energy,  and  shrewd- 
ness. I  regretted  much  my  inability  to  avail  myself  of 
the  extended  hospitality  which  he  urgently  pressed  upon 
me. 

In  Fredericksburgh  I  also  received  polite  attentions 
from  the  editor  of  a  Whig  newspaper,  to  whom  I  had  an 
introduction,  and  was  agreeably  surprised  by  finding  in 
him  a  candid  and  liberal  tone  of  mind,  great  gentleness 
of  character,  and  a  regard  to  religion  amounting  to  what 
would  be  called  in  England  "  evangelism.^  How  strange 
that 'such  a  term  should  be  used  in  a  Christian  country 
to  convey  reproach  !  These  qualities  are,  with  a  few 
honourable  exceptions,  very  rare  among  the  writers  in 
the  public  press  in  America. 

On  leaving  Fredericksburgh  for  Richmond,  by  the 
stage,  I  was  warned  of  the  bad  state  of  the  roads; 
but,  encouraged  by  what  I  had  already  gone  through 
in  safety,  I  smiled  at  such  perils  ;  and  confiding  in  the 
stout  setting  of  my  bones,  resigned  myself  without  fear 
to  a  vehicle,  in  which  I  formed  the  ninth  passenger,  and 
which  promised  to  reach  Richmond  in  twelve  hours,  the 
distance  being  about  sixty  or  seventy  miles.  As  we  be- 
gan the  journey  at  two  p.  w.,  we  hoped  to  conclude  it 
about  the  same  hour  in  the  morning. 

After  jolting  some  eiglit  miles  in  two  hours,  I  began  to 
doubt  the  calculation  of  speed  ;  that  of  safety  was  placed 
agreeably  beyond  all  doubt,  by  meeting  the  stage  from 
Richmond,  containing  several  passengers  with  their 
heads  bandaged  with  blood-stained  napkins.  We  found, 
on  inquiry,  that  they  had  been  upset  only  once,  and  had 
received  these  cuts  and  contusions.     I  congratulated  my- 


116  DANGER    OF    BEING    UPSET. 

self  on  being  in  this  "  safely"  line,  as  the  opposition,  or 
mail-stage,  had  upset  twice  that  same  night,  thereby 
proving  ihat  our  chance  of  escape  with  life  and  unbroken 
limbs  was  two  to  one  greater  than  that  of  our  mail-com- 
petitors. 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  on  the  horrors  of  that  night  :  it 
was  found  impossible  to  drag  the  load  of  passengers  and 
luggage  through  the  mud  ;  we  were  consequently  divid- 
ed into  two  stages  ;  and  I  heard  the  negro  who  drove  the 
last,  which  contained  my  valuable  person,  say,  as  he 
mounted  the  box  at  nightfall,  "  I  hope  we  shan't  up^zY, 
as  I  ha'nt  driv'  this  road  this  two  month."  Under  his 
experimental  guidance  we  certainly  did  receive  such  a 
jolting  as  I  had  never  supposed  a  carriage  capable  of 
enduring ;  and  the  courage  with  which  he  led  it  on  to 
charge  stumps  and  trees,  and  to  plunge  into  mud-holes, 
in  the  dark,  excited  my  admiration.  It  called  forth,  how- 
ever, other  feelings  from  one  of  my  companions,  who 
vented  his  alarm  and  anger  in  a  variety  of  expressions, 
which  would  have  formed  a  valuable  supplement  to  any 
dictionary  of  malediction  or  blasphemy.  We  arrived 
only  four  or  five  hours  after  the  time  appointed,  and  I 
felt  nearly  as  much  relieved  as  when  my  foot  first  touch- 
ed the  shore  of  Fayal.  The  description  here  given  of 
this  road  is  not  overdrawn.  I  will  defy  pen,  pencil, 
or  malice  to  do  it;  and  it  must  be  remembered,  that  it 
is  the  great  high  road  (1835)  from  the  capital  of  Virginia 
to  the  seat  of  the  Federal  Government. 

Richmond  is  very  prettily  situated  on  the  James 
river  (or,  as  it  is  used  to  be  called,  the  Powhatan) ;  the 
principal  streets  run  parallel  to  its  course;  and  the  town 
is  built  on  ground  that  undulates  gently  in  some  places, 
and  rises  gradually  as  it  recedes  from  the  water,  till  the 
eye  rests  on  the  Capitol  and  other  public  buildings, 
which  crown  the  summit  of  the  centre  hill.  It  is  a  busy 
flourishing  town,  containing  about  eighteen  thousand  in- 
habitants, of  which  the  white  and  black  population  arc 
in  nearly  equal  proportions.  The  principal  exports  con- 
sists of  wheat  and  tobacco,  both  of  which  are  produced 
in  the  neighbourhood,  of  the  very  best  quality;  the  for 


JUDGE    MARSHALL.  117 

mer  is  sent  chiefly  to  the  islands  and  to  Rio  Janeiro ; 
the  latter  all  over  the  world.  The  present  piice  of 
wheat  is  about  a  dollar  a  bushel.* 

I  had  read  so  much  extravagant  praise  of  the  beauty 
of  Richmond,  that  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  ;  never- 
theless the  view  of  the  city,  the  rapids,  interspersed  with 
thousands  of  Lilliputian  islands,  and  the  wooded  hills  in 
the  back-ground,  form  a  very  pleasing  picture.  The 
society  numbers  among  its  members  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  in  the  Union  ;  their  friendly  attention 
and  hospitality  to  me  warrant  my  assertion,  that  their 
private  and  social  qualities  are  by  no  means  inferior  to 
their  high  public  reputation.  The  names  of  Judge  Mar- 
shall, B.  W.  Leigh,  and  Mr.  Wickham,  are  familiar  to  all 
who  have  taken  any  interest  in  American  law  or  politics. 

Judge  Marshal,  who  is  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and,  in  fact,  Lord  Chancellor  of  the  United 
States,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  distinguished 
men  that  has  adorned  the  legislature  of  either  shore  of 
the  Atlantic.  He  began  liTe  as  a  soldier ;  and,  during 
the  American  war,  served  in  the  militia,  where  he  rose 
to  the  rank  of  general  :  after  which  he  came  to  the  bar, 
and  passed  through  all  its  gradations  to  his  present  high 
situation,  which,  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  proudest  that  an 
American  can  enjoy,  not  excepting  that  of  president ;  in- 
asmu€h'as  it  is  less  subject  "  arbitrio  popularis  aurae  :^'^ 
and  as  the  court  over  which  he  presides  can  affirm  and 
decide  what  is  and  what  is  not  the  constitution  of  the 
United  Slates.  The  judge  is  a  tall  venerable  man,  about 
eighty  years  of  age,  his  hair  tied  in  a  cue,^  according  to 
olden  custom,  and  with  a  countenance  indicating  that  sim-. 
plicity  of  mind  and  benignity  which  so  eminently  distin-. 
guish  his  character.  As  a  judge  he  has  no  rival,  liis 
knowledge  being  profound,  his  judgment  clear  and  just, 
and  his  quickness  in  apprehending  either  the  fallacy  or 
truth  of  an  argument  as  surprising.  T  had  the  pleasure 
of  several  long  conversations  with  him,  and  was  struck 
with   admiration   at  the  extraordinary  union  of  modesty 

*  Nearly  the  same  price  at  which  it  was  sold  by  our  heavily  taxed 
fariQers  in  the  English  market  at  this  date. 


118  HIS  HOUSE. 

and  power,  gentleness  and  force,  which  his  mind  dis- 
plays. What  he  knows  he  communicates  without  re- 
serve ;  he  speaks  with  a  clearness  of  expression,  and  in 
a  tone  of  simple  truth,  which  compel  conviction  ;  and 
on  all  subjects  on  which  his  knowledge  is  not  certain^  or 
which  admit  of  doubt  or  argument,  he  delivers  his  opin- 
ion with  a  candid  diffidence,  and  with  a  deference  for 
that  of  others,  amounting  almost  to  timidity  ;  still,  it  is  a 
timidity  which  would  disarm  the  most  violent  opponent, 
and  win  respect  and  credence  from  any  auditor.  I  re- 
member having  often  observed  a  similar  characteristic 
attributed  to  the  immortal  Newton.  The  simplicity  of 
his  character  is  not  more  singular  than  that  of  his  life  ; 
pride,  ostentation,  and  hypocrisy  are  "  Greek  to  him  ;"  and 
he  really  lives  up  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  republicanism, 
while  he  maintains  all  the  dignity  due  to  his  age  and 
office. 

His  house  is  small  and  more  humble  in  appearance 
than  those  of  the  average  of  successful  lawyers  or  mer- 
chants. I  called  three  times  upon  him  ;  there  is  no  bell 
to  the  door  :  once  I  turned  the  handle  of  it,  and  walked 
in  unanounced  ;  on  the  other  two  occasions  he  had  seen 
me  coming,  and  had  lifted  the  latch  and  received  me  at 
the  door,  although  he  was  at  the  time  suffering  from 
some  very  severe  contusions  received  in  the  stage  while 
travelling  on  that  road  from  Fredericksburg  to  Rich- 
mond, which  I  have  before  described.  I  verily  believe 
there  is  not  a  particle  of  vanity  in  his  composition,  unless 
it  be  of  that  venial  and  hospitable  nature  which  induces 
him  to  pride  himself  on  giving  to  his  friends  the  best 
glass  of  Madeira  in  Virginia.  In  short,  blending,  as  he 
does,  the  simplicity  of  a  child  and  the  plainness  of  a  re- 
publican with  the  learning  and  ability  of  a  lawyer,  the 
venerable  dignity  of  his  appearance  would  not  suffer  in 
comparison  with  that  of  the  most  respected  and  distiu's 
guished-looking  peer  in  the  British  House  of  Lords.* 

I  speht  a  week  very  pleasantly  in  Richmond.  At  the 
tables  of  the  three  gentlemen  before-mentioned,  I  met 

*  The  honoured  subject  of  the  foregoing  remarks  has  since  paid  the 
debt  of  nature ;  but  I  hare  left  them  as  they  were  originally  entered  in 
my  journal. 


^HE  JAMES    RIVER.  119 

most  agreeable  and  well-informed  society,  and  received 
attentions  more  marked  than  I  either  expected  or  felt 
myself  entitled  to.  Although  the  gay  season  was  over, 
the  attractions  presented  by  several  of  the  ladies'  draw- 
ing-rooms were  such  as  to  make  me  regret  the  necessity 
for  a  speedy  departure.  Indeed,  it  is  easy  to  observe  in 
Richmond  the  different  shades  of  character  between  the 
belles  of  Virginia  -and  those  of  New  England  ;  if  the 
latter  are  more  polished  and  well-informed,  the  former 
are  more  frank,  natural,  and  unrestrained,  and  the  smile 
which  lightens  from  the  face  of  the  one,  warms  and 
gladdens  from  that  of  the  other.  This  difference  would 
be  more  marked  than  it  is  were  it  not  for  the  wide  preva- 
lence among  parents  in  Virginia,  and  both  the  Carolinas, 
of  the  custom  of  sending  their  daughters  to  be  educated 
in  New  York  and  Boston,  where  they  can  have  better 
masters,  and  are  removed  from  the  febrile  danger  of  the 
Southern  summer. 

On  the  9th  of  April  1  left  Richmond,  and  embarked 
on  the  James  river,  the  banks  of  which  received  the 
first  settlers  that  Britain  sent  across  the  Atlantic,  whose 
melancholy  fate  is  too  well  known  to  require  narration. 
The  morning  was  fine,  and  the  view  of  the  receding  city 
extremely  beautiful.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  gene- 
rally well  wooded  and  cultivated,  and  every  now  and  then 
is  seen  a  country-house  more  resembling  those  in  Eng- 
land than  any  which  I  had  hitherto  observed. 

I  availed  myself  with  much  pleasure  of  the  hospitable 
offers  of  one  or  two  gentlemen,  whose  acquaintance  I 
had  made  in  Richmond,  of  paying  them  a  visit.  I  dis- 
embarked accordingly  about  sixty  miles  down  the  river, 
and  received  a  kind  welcome  in  the  house  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  in  the  state.  Here  I  remained  four  or 
five  days  ;  and  if  the  wishes  of  the  friendly  and  excel- 
lent host,  or  of  his  guest,  had  been  alone  to  be  consulted 
I  might  have  remained  there  as  many  weeks,  so  agreea- 
ble was  the  domestic  circle  in  which  I  found  myself, 
and  so  pressing  were  the  invitations  to  prolong  my  stay. 
In  Virginia  as  in  England,  a  country-house  is  a  very 
hothouse    of  acquaintance,    and  ripens  it   much  earher 


120  INTERMARRIAGE    OF   RESIDENTS 

than  the  common  garden  of  society  ;  and  the  hospitality 
of  Virginia  is  deservedly  celebrated. 

Proceeding  down  the  river  about  fifteen  miles,  I  paid 
another  visit  to  two  gentlemen,  brothers,  who  were  con- 
nections of  my  former  host.  Indeed,  a  great  many  of 
the  residents  on  the  James  river  are,  from  intermarriage 
and  division  of  old  estates,  mutually  connected  ;  and  the 
cousinship  of  the  old  families  of  the  Birds,  Carters, 
Randolphs,  and  Harrisons,  are  almost  as  widely  extend- 
ed as  a  similar  relation  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland. 
They  seem  upon  the  most  friendly  terms — are  constantly 
interchanging  visits,  without  ceremony  or  invitation  ;  and 
their  hospitality  to  strangers  is  not  surpassed  in  any 
country  that  I  have  seen.  Here,  too,  I  saw  again  walls 
adorned  with  the  powdered  heads  and  laced  coats  of  our 
common  ancestors.  I  sat  at  dinner  beneath  the  sweet 
smile  of  Pope's  Miss  Blount,  from  the  pencil  of  Sir  G. 
Kneller ;  while  Lord  Orrery,  Lord  Albermarle,  and  the 
Duke  of  Argyle,  frowned  from  canvass  of  respectable 
antiquity.  The  allusion  was  carried  yet  farther  by  the 
Anglicism  of  the  names  of  their  residences — such  as 
Shirley,  Brandon,  Berkeley,  &c. 

As  these  were  the  first  plantations,  or  farms,  which  I 
had  as  yet  seen  cultivated  on  a  large  scale  by  slave- 
labour,  I  naturally  paid  much  attention  to  the  appearance 
of  the  land  and  its  cultivators.  I  shall  not  interrupt  this 
narrative  portion  of  my  journal  by  any  remarks  on  the 
general  question  of  slavery,  but  shall  confine  myself  to 
a  simple  record  of  the  facts  which  came  under  my 
observation  during  this  excursion,  reserving  to  another 
occasion  the  discussion  of  a  subject  which  is  confessedly 
the  most  important,  the  most  disagreeable,  and  the  most 
diflScult  that  can  engage  the  attention  either  of  the  poli- 
tician or  the  moralist  in  the  United  Slates. 

From  what  1  had  already  seen  of  the  social  qualities 
of  the  gentlemen  at  whose  houses  I  was  a  visiter,  I  was 
rather  gratified  than  surprised  to  witness  the  comparative 
comfort  and  good  usage  enjoyed  by  their  slaves.  The 
huts  in  which  they  reside  are  constructed  of  wood,  and 
divided  in  the  centre  by  a  compartment,  in  which  is 
fixed  a  chimney,  to  rouvey  the  smoke  from  each  divi- 


TREATMENT    OF    SLAVES.  121 

sion  ;  their  food  (consisting  chiefly  of  fish,  broth,  maize 
cooked  after  various  fasfiions,  bacon,  &c.)  is  wholesome 
and  sufficient:  their  clothing,  coarse,  but  suited  to  their 
necessities  and  to  the  cHmaie  :  their  labour  compulsory 
and  constant,  but  not  beyond  their  power.     During  the 
days  that  I  spent  in  the  neighbourhood,  T  did   not  see    v" 
any  corporal  punishment;  but  each  overseer  was  armed 
with   a  cowhide  ;  and  one,  with  wl)om  1   held   a  long 
conversation  regarding  the  detail  of  his  occupation,  in- 
formed  me,  that  he  was  obliged  constantly  to  use  the 
lash,  both  to  the  men  and  women  :  that  some  he  whip- 
ped four  or  five  limes  a-week,  some  only  twice  or  thrice 
a-month  :  that  all  attempts  to  make  them  work  regularly 
by  advice  or  kindness  were  unavailing,  for  their  general 
character  was   stubborn  idleness  ;  and  that  many  who 
were  cheerful,  and  even  appeared  attached  to  the  family, 
would    not    work    without     occasional    hints    from    the 
cowhide.     He  owned  he  was  extremely  sorry  thai  the 
race  existed  in  Virginia,  destroying   as  they  must   the 
markei  for  the  white  man's  labour;  adding  his  conviction 
that   liis   employer's   estate  would,  produce   more   clear 
revenue  if  every  negro    were  removed  from  the  slate, 
and  the   property  divided  into  farms  under  lease.     The 
grounds  for  this  opinion,  were  the  heavy  original  outlay 
in  the  purchase    of  slaves  (the  price  of  an  able-bodied 
maie  being,  at  an  average,  150/.), — the  expense  of  their 
maintenance — the  perpetual  losses  incurred   by  their  dy- 
ing, running  away,  falling  sick,  and  other  casualties,  the 
weight  of  which  in  free  countries  falls  upon  the  labourer. 

It  is  doubtless  true  that  all  these  causes,  taken 
together,  render  slave-labour  less  cheap  and  profitable  to 
the  proprietor  than  it  is  sometimes  assumed  to  be  ;  but 
there  is  also  a  fact  usually  advanced  bv  the  slave-holders 
in  this  district  which  must  not  be  passed  over,  and  the 
truth  of  which  cannot  be  altogether  denied,  natnely,  that 
the  banks  of  the  James  river  are  extremely  unhealthy 
durincj  the  harvest  and  hot  months,  and  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  white  labourers  (who  suffer  much  more  severely 
than  negroes  from  bilious  and  other  local  fevers)  could 
perform  the  work  requisite  during  the  summer;  so  that 
the  choice  must  lie  between  slavery  and  free-black  labour, 

Vol.  L— L 


122  THE    NEGRO    CHARACTER. 

of  which  last  the  Virginians  speak  as  an  impracticable 
theory.  I'hat,  however,  remains  to  be  proved  ;  and  as 
the  experiment  has  been  made  elsewhere  upon  a  great 
scale,  It  is  surely  more  philosophical  lo  wail  and  observe, 
ralher  than  conjecture  or  anlicipaie  the  result.  The 
general  experience  of  the  past  seems  lo  warrant  the 
assertion,  that  the  motives  of  cleanliness,  comfi>rt,  and 
independence  are  seldom,  if  ever,  strong  enough  to  pre- 
vail upon  ihe  negro  to  labour  ;  and  ihal  no  inducements 
suiiicienily  strong  can  be  found,  excepting  necessity  and 
compulsion. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  such  will  continue  to  be  their 
character,  until  it  shall  have  been  changed  by  education 
and  by  gradual  improvement  in  their  nrjental  and  moral 
condition  ;  indeed,  ihe  contrariely  of  slavery  to  the  laws 
of  nature  can  scarcely  receive  stronger  confirmation  than 
it  does  from  the  fact,  that  it  is  necessarily  associaied 
wiih,  and  dependent  for  its  existence  upon,  the  grossest 
ignorance  and  degradation  of  mind.  AH  civilized  na- 
tions agree  in  the  great  maxims,  that  knowledge  is  the 
power  of  man — liberty  his  unalienable  right — improve- 
ment his  object ;  and  yet  here  is  a  condition  utterly  in- 
compatible with  the  first  dawnings  of  knowledge — the 
first  principles  of  liberiy — the  first  step  in  the  march  of 
improvement ! 

The  abject  submission  and  ignorance  necfssary  to  the 
continuance  of  slavery  may  be  easily  gathered  from  ihe 
following  statement: — The  farms  of  two  gentlemen 
whom  1  visited  occupied  ihe  whole  of  a  peninsula  formed 
by  the  James  river:  they  had  each  two  overseers  :  thus 
(their  families  being  young)  the  effective  strength  of 
white  men  on  their  estates  amounted  to  six:  the  negroes 
were  in  number  about  two  hundred  and  fifty:  nor  was 
there  a  village  or  place  within  many  miles  from  which 
assistance  could  be  summoned.  Let  the  reader  only 
imagine  the  scene  that  must  have  ensued,  had  some  of 
these  blacks,  whde  smarting  under  the  pain  of  the  lash, 
been  taught  the  first  crude  notions  of  natural  right,  or 
been  awakened  to  the  first  consciousness  of  their  power, 
or  l)een  excited  to  one  feeling  of  indifrnation  or  revenge 
strong   enough   to   overcome   the   habitual  terror  of  the 


OVERSEERS.  123 

cowhide  !  Hence  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how 
justly  the  slaveholders  urge  the  necessity  of  keeping 
from  their  slaves  all  glimpses  of  knowledge  or  liberiy 
upon  the  ground  of  self-preservation  ;  and  thus  the  best 
apology  for  slavery  furnishes  the  best  evidence  of  its 
inhuman  unholy  nature. 

But  10  return  to  the  plantations  on  James  river.  There 
is  a  wide  difference  between  the  respective  condiiions  of 
the  domestic  and  the  farm-labouring  slave;  the  former 
has,  in  many  insiances,  been  brongfit  up  under  the  same 
roof  vviih  his  owner — perhaps  they  have  been  playmates 
in  early  boyhood ;  he  has  rarely,  if  ever,  felt  the  lash  ; 
and  his  respectability  of  demeanour  and  attachment  to 
the  family  are  characteristics  which  it  is  easy  and  plea- 
sant to  observe  ;  his  punishment  when  idle  is  generally 
confined  to  a  scolding,  and,  if  that  fails,  a  tlireat  to  sell 
him  will  almost  always  reduce  the  most  obstinate  to  obe- 
dience. But  the  farm-labouring  slave  is  liiile  brought 
into  contact  with  his  master,  whose  habitual  feelings  of 
humanity  are,  therefore,  seldom  excited  in  his  favour: 
he  is  one  of  a  gang  from  which,  as  from  a  team  of 
horses,  a  certain  quantum  of  labour  is  expected;  he  is 
entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  overseer;  and  the  merit  of 
that  functionary  in  the  eyes  of  his  employer  being  to 
extract  the  maximum  of  profit  from  the  exertions  of  the 
slaves,  he  is  apt  to  spare  neither  threats  nor  blows  in  the 
discharge  of  his  office,  and  an  appeal  against  him  to  the 
master  is  worse  than  hopeless,  as  the  negro  evidence  is 
unheeded.  The  complainant,  therefore,  is  well  aware 
that,  by  accusing  his  oppressor,  he  woidd  only  draw 
upon  himself  redoubled  severity  or  cruelty.  These  over- 
seers are  generally  men  of  harsh  and  unfeeling  charac- 
ter, which  every  day  spent  in  their  disagreeable  vocation 
must  have  a  natural  tendency  to  harden ;  but  I  have 
never  heard  in  the  south-eastern  states  of  their  being 
guilty  of  the  licentious  atrocities  of  which  they  have 
been  sometimes  accused  in  Louisiana,  and  which  cer- 
tainly are  but  too  common  among  them  in  the  West  In- 
dia islands. 

The  marriage  of  the  slave  is,  of  course,  entirely  at  the 
option  of  the  owner,  by  whom  it  is  generally  encouraged. 


124  AGRICULTURE. 

If  tlie  wife  belono:  to  a  gang  on  an  adjoining  property, 
the  husband  is  usually  allowed  lo  visit  iier  from  Satur- 
day night  until  Monday  morning,  and  sometimes  once 
aajain  in  the  week  from  sunset  until  the  following  day- 
break :  the  children  resulting  from  the  marriage  belong 
lo  the  owner  of  ihe  mother.  The  sexual  morality  of  the 
nef^roes  (being  unchecked  by  any  notions  of  decency  or 
propriety)  would  be  even  more  lax  than  it  is,  were  it  not 
restrained  by  prohibitory  regulations  on  the  part  of  their 
owners,  whose  interest  it  is  to  prevent  all  irregularities 
which  might  interfere  wiih  the  labour  of  the  male,  or  the 
fecundity  of  the  female  slaves  :  let  us  hope,  also,  that 
some  impose  these  restraints  from  belter  and  higher 
motives. 

The  religion  of  the  negroes  is  such  as  might  be  ex- 
pected from  the  brutal  state  of  ignorance  in  which  they 
are  brought  up;  the  dignity,  the  responsibility,  the  im- 
mortality of  man  being  unknown  to  them,  their  religion 
is  a  compound  of  super.-tiiion  and  absurdity,  inculcating 
no  virtue,  dutv,  or  self-denial,  and  filling  their  heads  with 
drivelling  fruitless  fancies  ;  they  always  prefer  their  own 
preachers  (some  brother-slave,  whose  vanity  and  volu- 
bility liave  induced  him  to  assume  the  omce)  to  any 
white  minister  ih.-ii  can  be  offered  to  them;  and  the  only 
definite  article  of  belief  that  I  could  obtain  from  several 
whom  I  examined,  was,  that  if  adultery,  theft,  and  mur- 
der were  very  bad,  a  few  prayers  soon  expiated  the  of- 
fence, and  the  "  man  might  start  again  as  good  as  ever  !" 

The  soil  on  both  banks  of  James  river  is  naturally 
very  fertile  ;  but  it  has  been  much  exhausted  by  neglect 
and  by  over-cropping.  A  better  system  of  agriculture  is 
now  introduced  ;  a  triennial  rotation  is  observed,  consist- 
ing usually  of  wheat,  Indian  corn,  and  clover;  fine  beds 
of  marie  have  lately  been  discovered  of  great  extent,  and 
the  use  of  this,  with  shells  and  a  free  admixture  of  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  manure,  is  already  producing  evident 
and  rapid  improvement  in  the  soil  and  in  the  crops. 
Most  of  the  implements  of  husbandry  are  made  on  the 
farm  ;  the  draiight  cattle  consist  chiefly  of  small,  lean, 
but  hardy  oxen,  and  stout  mules,  which  are  fed  upon  the 
coarsest  refuse  of  the  produce  ;  thus  (with  the  exception 


EARLY  SETTLERS.  125 

of  the  value  of  the  slave-labour)  the  outlay  upon  these 
farms  is  not  by  any  means  heavy  in  proportion  to  their 
return  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  subdivision  lo  wliich,  by 
the  laws  of  the  country,  they  are  so  frequently  subjecied, 
these  estates  would  maintain  a  comfortable  and  indepen- 
dent g'ntry. 

I  suppose  my  American  friends  would  call  it  British 
prejudice  ;  but  f  confess  it  often  made  me  sad,  in  my 
journey  through  Virginia,  lo  see  good  substantial  manor- 
houses,  built  while  the  law  of  primogeniture  was  in  force, 
either  untenanted  or  half  inhabited,  because  none  of  the 
heirs  of  the  sub-divided  properly  could  afford  to  live  in 
them.  However,  although  1  wdl  not  enter  farther  into 
the  merils  of  that  question  here,  I  freely  admit  that  I 
consider  a  law  of  primogeniture  incompatible  with  re- 
publican iuLuiiuiions. 

On  the  19ih  of  April,  I  bade  adieu  to  mv  kind  hosts, 
and  embarked  again  on  James  river  for  Williamsburgh, 
the  former  colonial  seat  of  government.  The  steaujer 
in  which  I  found  myself  was  the  "  Patrick  Henry  I" 
The  name  of  the  extraordinary  man,  after  whom  it  was 
so  called,  is  familiar  to  all  who  are  in  any  degree  conver- 
sant wiih  ihe  history  of  the  American  revolution.  How 
liltl*^  could  he  imagine,  when  he  was  stirring  up  the  Vir- 
ginians to  revoli,  and  fuhninaiing  his  eloquent  denuncia- 
tions against  their  governor,  who  had  proclaimed  him 
outlaw  and  traitor,  that  in  fifiy  years  his  own  country 
would  be  a  mighiy  independent  empire,  and  the  grand- 
son of  ihat  governor  be  received  there  as  a  traveller  with 
kindness  and  ho.-pitality. 

The  district  through  which  T  was  now  passing  was  the 
"Wingandacoa,  mentioned  as  the  first  region  visited  by 
Sir  VV.  Raleigh  on  this  coast  :  it  is  described  by  Pliilip 
Amydas,  narrator  of  that  expedition,  as  a  "  soile  most 
plentiful,  sweete,  and  wholesome  of  all  other;"  in  proof 
of  which  the  worthy  captain  states,  "  the  come  groweth 
three  times  in  five  moneih  ;  we  put  some  of  our  pease 
in  the  groiinde,  which  in  ten  dayes  were  fourteen  inches 
high  !"  I  enireat  the  reader  to  take  this  statement  upon 
the  faith  of  Philip   Amydas'   veracity,  and  not  of  mine. 

It  appears  that,  in   1585,  Wingandacoa  received  the 


126  JAMES  TOWN. 

name  of  Virginia,  and  a  second  expedition  was  sent 
thiiher  under  ISir  Richard  Grenvill,  Master  Heriot, 
Layne,  and  others.  Thuir  first  negotiations  with  the 
Indians  seem  to  have  been  cnrried  on  in  that  spirit  of 
intolerance  and  cruelty  whicli  has  marked  and  disgraced 
the  conduct  of  English,  Spanish,  and  of  all  the  civilized 
nations,  in  their  intercourse  with  ignorant  and  helpless 
savages.  Master  Heriot's  narrative  abounds  with  illus- 
trations of  this  observation  ;  let  one  short  sentence  suf- 
fice :  very  soon  after  their  landing,  he  says,  "at  Aquas- 
cogac,  the  Indians  stole  a  silver  cup,  so  we  burnt  their 
towne,  and  spoyled  their  corne,"  &c.  When  civilization 
and  Christianity  came  to  the  ptor  Indians,  recommended 
by  such  acts  of  wanton  atrocity  as  are  recorded  in  the 
narratives  written  by  the  first  European  settlers  them- 
selves, who  can  wonder  that  they  should  become  objects 
of  fear  and  hatred,  rather  than  of  adtriration  and  love  t 
The  speed  of  the  Patrick  Henry  exceeded  that  of  any 
steamer  which  I  had  seen  in  England  or  in  America.  She 
"went  over  seventy-six  miles  (with  wind  and  tide  in  her 
favour)  in  foutr  hours  and  twenty  minutes  precisely,  in- 
cluding several  short  stoppages  to  land  and  take  in  pas- 
sengers. 1  landed  at  James  Town,  the  now  desolate 
spot,  where  the  fathers  of  America  first  established  them- 
selves on  her  shores  :  it  is  impossible  to  view  it  without 
interest  and  emotion,  or  to  forget  that  from  this  acorn 
sprung  the  huge-spreading  oak  on  which  the  American 
eagle  has  built  her  nest  ! 

♦^  Time  was  when,  settling  on  thy  leaf,  a  fly 

C'uld  shake  thee  to  the  roots — and  time  has  been 
When  tempests  could  not."* 

Nothing  now  remains  of  that  parent  settlement  except- 
ing the  ruiis  of  the  church,  which  mark  the  place  whence 
the  lidings  of  Christianity  were  fir.st  preached  in  the 
Western  world.  Here  I  regret  to  add,  that  the  condi- 
tion both  of  the  ruins  and  of  the  church-vard  attest  the 
indifference^  of  the  American  people  to  sepulchral  relics 
or  monuments  of  antiquity.  Instead  of  showing  any 
reverence  for  this  classic  and  holy  ground  (such,  at  least, 
it  should  be  to  them),  the  church  has  been  allowed  to  fall 

♦Cowper's  "Yardley  Oak." 


DESECRATED    CHURCIl-YARD.  127 

to  pieces — the  grave-stones  have  been  rudely  torn  from 
their  places — llie  marble  .^labs  broken  and  scaliered  in 
every  direction — the  inscriptions  and  carved  ornaments 
defaced — the  church-yard  wall  torn  down — nor  is  there 
the  slightest  remaining  barrier  to  protect  this,  their  ear- 
liest rehgioQs  and  ancestral  monument,  from  the  intru- 
sion of  pigs  and  cattle,  or  the  more  disgraceful  profana- 
tion of  human  mischief  and  curiosity! 

Some  may  think  this  a  light  and  trivial  matter — I  can- 
not agree  witli  them  :  it  appears  tome  an  amiable,  if  not 
an  instinctive  feeling  in  our  nature,  to  have  a  regard  to 
all  the  concerns,  the  habits,  the  deeds,  as  well  as  the 
houses  and  more  material  relics  of  our  forefathers  ;  how 
much  more  so  to  venerate  the  spot  of  wdich  the  dust  is 
kindred  to  our  own  animated  clay,  where  sleep  the  men 
to  whom  we  owe  the  land  and  the  liberty  we  enjoy.  I 
will  defy  any  one  who  pretends  to  understand  or  appre- 
ciate a  stanza  of  Gray's  matchless  Elegy,  to  look  upon 
this  des&crated  churcb-yard  without  mingled  feelings  of 
indignation  and  pain.  If  I  were  an  American  statesman 
I  would  watch,  and  endeavour  to  correct  this  national 
defect,  and  to  instil  into  my  countrymen  a  sentiment 
which  the  concurring  testiniony  of  civilized  nations  has 
approved.  Burke,  who  was  no  superficial  observer  of 
human  nature,  has  said,  "They  who  never  look  back  to 
their  ancestors,  will  rarely  look  forward  to  posterity." 

The  road  from  James  'I'own  to  VVilliamsburgh  is 
through  a  tame  ill-cultivated  country,  without  much  pre- 
tention to  beauty.  The  seat  of  government  during  the 
Old  Dominion  is  now  little  better  than  a  "deserted  vil- 
lage." The  centre  of  the  palace  where  the  governor 
resided  has  long  since  fallen  down,  and  even  the  traces 
of  its  ruins  are  no  more  to  be  seen.  Two  small  wings, 
which  formed  part  of  the  range  of  offices,  are  still  stand- 
ing: they  have  been  bought  and  fitted  up  by  Mr.  B , 

their  present  possessor,  in  a  neat  cottage  style.  I  did 
not  scruple  to  enter,  and  ask  permission  to  cast  my  eye 
round  the  apartments  and  adjoining  garden,  which  was 
politely  granted.  It  maybe  imagined  with  what  min- 
gled and  undefinable  feelings  I  viewed  this  spot,  as  a 
stranger  and  a  foreigner,  where  my  grandfather  had  liv- 


128  OLD    COLLEGE. 

ed,  surrounded  by  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  vice-royal- 
ty ! — then  all  was  bustle  and  g^iyeiy,  and  life  wiihin  those 
halls — when  the  governor  welcomed  the  colonisls  to  the 
board  and  to  the  dance,  or  salhed  forth  with  Briiish  sol- 
diery, supported  by  ihe  bold  woodsmen  of  the  country, 
to  drive  the  red  invaders  from  the  remote  porlions  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  are  now  included  in  the  stales  of  Oliio  and 
'J'ennessee  !*  What  is  now  tlie  contrasted  scene? — 
those  wildernesses,  watered  by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
which  were  then  the  abode  of  the  wolf,  the  bear,  and 
the  Indian,  are  filled  with  thriving  fartns  and  busy  vil- 
lages, amidst  which  are  to  be  found  towns  of  great  and 
increasing  opiiknce  ;  while  the  ancient  capital,  on  the 
site  of  which  I  was  now  standing,  has  dwindled,  m  half 
a  century,  into  a  paltry  village,  without  even  a  venerable 
ruin  to  rescue  its  decay  from  insigiuficance  ! 

The  train  of  reflections  naiurally  arising  from  the  con- 
templation of  this  scene  probably  prevenied  my  paying 
due  aiteniion  to  the  college  situaled  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  it,  built  and  endowed  (as  is  well  known)  by  Wil- 
liam and  Mary.  I  did  visit  it,  however,  and  found  a 
large  irregular  pile  of  building,  without  any  architec- 
tural pretentions.     I  also  paid  my  respects  to  Mr.  T , 

one  of  the  principal  professors  :  his  deportment  and  con- 
versation answered  the  general  expectation  which  I  had 
formed  from  the  general  high  character  thai  he  enjoys 
throughout  the  state.  His  general  views  of  education 
and  college  discipline  appeared  to  me  liberal  and  enlight- 
ened. He  introduced  me  to  two  other  professors  be- 
longing to  the  establishment;  and  my  impression  from 
the  interview  was,  that,  under  such  men,  the  college, 
which  had  for  many  years  subsequently  to  the  revolu- 
tion, and  the  consequent  diminution  of  its  funds,  been  on 
the  decline,  would  soon  regain  its  former  celebrity. 

*  In  the  time  of  James  the  First,  and  for  many  years  after  his  reign, 
the  colony  of  Virwinia  was  held  to  contain  all  the  country  between  lati- 
tudes 32°  and  44^,  "  and  as  far  westward  as  might  l)e  convenient."  I 
saw  some  very  curious  iRcords  connected  with  this  sul)ject  in  the  archives, 
which  are  reserved  in  good  order  at  Kichmond.  Tlie  present  northern 
and  southern  limits  of  Virginia,  were  assigned  in  1630-1632,  when  the 
boundaries  of  j\orth  Carolina  and  Maryland  were  drawn. 


NEW    rORTIFICATION.  129 

On  ihe  29th  of  April  I  left  Williamsburgh,  and  pro- 
ceeded, through  an  uninteresting  country,  to  Hampton. 
From  thence,  I  took  a  stroll  towards  the  new  fortilica- 
lion  at  Old  Point,  w[iich  has  been  constructed  with  much 
care  and  at^reat  expense.  The  works  are  of  considera- 
ble extent,  and  many  difficulties  must  have  presented 
ihemselves  in  the  progress  of  the  fortification,  especially 
from  the  instability  of  the  foundation,  the  whole  being 
built  upon  sand.  I  should  conceive  it  altogether  a  strong 
fortress,  as  regular  approaches  could  only  be  made  on. 
one  side,  and  that  is  a  narrow  isthmus,  not  easily  occu- 
pied by  an  enemy.  Its  dimensions  are  quite  out  of  pro- 
portion with  the  miliiary  force  ai  present  existing  in  the 
country.  I  should  have  conceived  that  the  whole  United 
States'  army  would  not  make  more  than  a  sufficient  gar- 
rison for  it  (as  it  certanily  would  easily  contain  eight 
thousand  men,  which  is  above  two  thousand  more  than 
their  present  numerical  force) ;  but  I  am  told  the  tech- 
nical calculations  respecting  the  fortification  (of  which 
I  am  myself  very  ignorant)  are,  that  it  can  be  de- 
fended by  three  thousand  men,  and  is  calculated  to  hold 
out  against  regular  approaches  for  forty  days.  The 
guns  that  I  saw  were  all  twenty-four  and  thirty-two 
pounders ;  but  forty-twos  are  to  be  mounted  upon  a  new 
and  improved  principle  in  the  construction  of  the  car- 
riages. I  have  been  informed  that  it  was  meant  to  fornn 
a  kind  of  depot,  or  centre,  of  a  great  line  of  coast  foriifi- 
caiion,  extend mg  all  along  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  : 
the  intention  of  which  was  to  protect  the  whole  impor- 
tant line  between  the  Hudson  and  the  James  river. 

Crossing  from  Old  Point  to  Norfolk,  in  the  steamer,  I 
arrived  late  in  the  afternoon.  This  is  a  bustling,  active 
town,  containing;  probably,  about  eleven  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  streets  are  narrow,  and  the  houses  rather 
small ;  and,  though  the  shops  are  well  filled,  and  the 
streets  are  lined  with  hampers,  barrels,  crates,  and  all  the 
usual  pavement  impediments  of  a  commercial  port,  still 
there  is  little  to  interest  a-  stranger ;  but  the  bay  affords 
a  noble  harbour,  and  the  merchants  of  Norfolk  have  been 
long  and  justly  celebrated  for  their  hospitality.  As  for 
the  great  bay  of  the  Chesapeake,  in  which  this  seaport 


130  MORNING    RIDE. 

is  situated,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world, 
whellier  considered  in  reference  to  its  commercial  oi  na- 
val importance,  being  on  an  averai^e,  twelve  or  fifteen 
miles  wide,  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  long,  and 
eight  or  ten  fathoms  deep  throncrhoul ;  it  contains  many 
commodious  harbours  and  excellent  fisheries.  Besides 
the  James  river,  of  which  1  have  before  spoken,  it  re- 
ceives the  waters  of  several  navigable  rivers,  the  prin- 
cipal of  which  are  the  Susquehannah,  Potomac,  Patuxenl, 
Rappaliannock,  and  York. 

J)uring  my  stay  I  was  hospitably  entertained  by  the 
British  Consul,  and  made  some  agreeable  acquaintance. 
After  a  few  days  I  returned  to  Washmgton. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Morning  Ride. — Delightful  Season. — Shrubs  and  Flowers. — The  Mock- 
ing-bird.—  Visit  to  a  Fli)wer-Garden. — Preparations  for  a  Tour  in  the 
West — Parting  from  Friends. — Jieave  Washington  for  Baltimore. — 
Fearful  Ravages  of  the  Cholera. — Incident  in  the  Museum  at  Balti- 
more.— Arrival  at  Philadelphia. — Start  for  Pittsburgh. — Lovely  Prog- 
ppcl. — Lancaster  Vale. — German  Setilers. — The  Susquehannah. — 
The  Juniata. — Track  Boats. — A  Newspaper  Repor|er. — Inquisitive 
Western  Traveller. — Walk  to  Holydaysburgh. — Nocturnal  Annoy*- 
ance. — Passage  across  the  Alleuhanies. — Arrival  at  Johnstown. — 
The  River  Coniman. — Railroad. — The  Alleghany  River. — Pitts- 
burgh.— The  Market. — Mr.  Rapp's  Settlement. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  May,  I  sallied  forth 
about  seven  o'clock,  to  ride  round  the  heights  of  George- 
town, and  the  picturesque  glens  by  \vi]ich  they  are 
divided  from  the  Washington  race-course.  All  who 
have  seen  the  various  tints  which  clothe  the  American 
woods  in  autumn,  (or,  to  use  their  own  poetical  and 
admirable  expression,  in  the  fall,)  have  agreed  in  cele- 
braliniT  their  unrivalled  richness  and  beauty.  I  will  not 
institute  an  odious  comparison  between  that  time  of  year 
and  the  "  soote  season"  in  which  I  now  pricked  forth: 
both  are  sweet,  and  both  have  their  peculiar  attractions: 

After  all,  the  last  scene  is  always  the  best.  Nature 
is  like  Perdita  in  "The  Winter's  Tale," — "what  she 
does,  still  belters  what  is  done  ;"  but  I  never  remember 


DELIGHTFUL  SEASON.  131 

to  have  enjoyed  a  more  delightful  ride  (at  least,  alone) : 
the  sun  was  clear,  bright,  and  gay  in  his  bridegroom  trim 
— the  sweet  south  shook  the  dew-drops  from  the  bud- 
ding trees  ; 

"  The  flowers  sprang  wanton  to  be  prest ; 
The  birds  sang  love  on  every  spray  ;" 

and  all  nature  wore  that  universal  smile  which  the  un- 
translatable  expression  of  ^Eschylus  so  exquisitely  paints 
in  describing  the  sea.* 

The  season,  indeed,  was  later  than  usual,  and  on  this 
lovely  morning,  the  blooming  May  was  busied  in  calling 
that  "  sleeping  fragrance  from  the  ground"  which  her 
elder  sister  April  ougtit  to  have  awakened  ;  the 

•'  Violets  dim, 
But  sweeter  than  the  lids  of  Juno's  eyes, 
Or  Cyiherea's  breath," 

were  peeping  from  every  tangled  corner  in  the  dell  ; 
buds  and  blossoms  of  various  shrubs  and  trees,  whose 
names  were  unknown  to  me,  were  bursiing  open  in 
every  direction  the  verdant  walls  of  their  native  prison, 
and  endeavouring,  ''all  bashfully,  to  struggle  into  light;" 
while  the  graver  pines  and  cedars  seemed  to  mock  their 
tender  and  unformed  foliage.  Proudly  eminent  among 
them  all  was  the  luxurious  and  gaudy  beauty  of  the  Cor- 
nus Jioridaj  (called  here  the  dog-wood);  this  is  a  large 
shrub,  bearing  delicate  flowers  of  a  paly  pink  hue,  and 
such  a  profusion  of  them  as  to  make  the  wild  woods 
look  like  a  flower-garden,  and  to  throw  into  shades  the 
beauties  even  of  the  May-thorn. 

Nor  was  animate  nature  less  busily  employed  :  the 
saucy  robin  was  pluming  himself  by  the  stream,  and 
regarded  not  my  approach  ;  the  gorgeous  blue-bird  was 
showing  to  the  sun  his  "  feathered  inail,  sky-tinctured 
grain  ;"  the  cat-bird  and  thrush  were  singing  their  matins 

*■  The  uv^ptBfiov  yi?.aafta.     Vide  Prom.  1.  90. 

t  I  believe,  in  autumn,  it  bears  bright  scarlet  berries  :  its  bark  is  a 
powerful  tonic,  and  is  taken  as  a  remedy  for  ague. 


132  THE    MOCKING  BIRD. 

from  every  bush  and  tree  ;  and,  far  above  the  rest,  that 
prince  of  mimics  and  songsters,  the  mocking-bird,  was 
swinging  npon  a  small  twig  of  the  hickory-nut,  which 
waved  gently  to  and  fro  in  the  breeze  ;  while  he,  "as  if 
he  w^ould  the  charming  air  repay,"  poured  forth  a  strain 
of  such  rich  and  varied  melody,  as  made  me,  for  the 
moment,  almost  forget  my  allegiance  to  that  feathered 
queen  of  song,  who,  throned  in  some  venerable  oak  in 
Windsor's  glades,  has  received  so  often  the  grateful 
homage  of  my  ear,  and  charmed  so  many  hours,  by  day 
and  night,  of  my  earlier  years  ! 

Thus  lovely  was  the  scene  through  wliich  I  suffered 
my  steed  to  ramble  at  his  own  pace,  unwilling  that  he 
should  not  have  his  share  in  the  enjoyment  diffused 
around  him  ;  my  own  musings  were  tmged,  however 
with  melancholy,  as  the  last  post  from  Europe  had 
brought  alarming  accounts  of  the  health  of  one  who  was 
and  is  to  me  as  a  sister — one  who,  when  I  left  her"  was 
bhthe  and  lovely  as  the  landscape  before  me.  There 
was  something,  moreover,  in  the  object  with  which  I 
visited  thus  early  these  woody  dells,  which  was  calcu- 
lated to  inspire  gentle  thoughts;  for  my  course  was 
directed  to  a  flower-garden,  where  I  was  going  to  select 
a  small  bouqueite  for  a  youngr  ladv,  to  whom  I  had,  the 
preceding  evening,  lost  a  "flowery  wager;"  and  as  her 
attractions  rendered  her  well  worthy  of  the  fairest  and 
mosi  fragrant  selection  which  I  could  make,  I  was,  per- 
haps, unconsciously  illustrating  those  lines  of  our  "old 
man  eloquent,"  in  which  one. 

"  Forth  issuing:  on  a  summer's  morn,  to  breathe 
Among  the  pleasant  villacjes  and   farms 
Adjoined,  fronp  each  thing  met  conceives  delight  ;" 

but  when  the  "fair  virgin"  is  added  to  the  picture, 
**  What  pleasing  seem'd,  for  her  now  pleases  more." 

T  returned  home,  laden  with  sweets  like  a  bee,  only 
with  this  difference,  that  the  bee  is  a  thief,  and  I  came 
honestly  by  mine.  I  heie  feel  obliged  to  acknowledge, 
that,  although  Washington  is  a  dismal  and  dreary  skele- 


LEAVE    WASHINGTON.  133 

t'on  of  a  city,  possessing  a  climate  and  situation  equally 
detestable,  there  are  some  delightful  rides  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood. 

A-fter  spending  a  few  days  more  in  llie  capital,  I 
determined  upon  making  a  tour  in  the  West,  leaving  its 
extent  and  direction  to  be  guided  by  circumstances,  and 
by  such  information  or  advice  as  I  might  meet  with  on 
the  way.  Accoidinaly,  I  armed  myself  with  letters  of 
introduction  to  the  officers  on  tlie  western  stations  from 
the  secretary  of  the  War  Department  and  from  tlie  com- 
mander-in-chief, to  both  of  wliom  1  was  much  indebted 
for  the  readiness  with  which  ihey  gave  ihem,  and  the 
pressing  language  in  wliich  they  were  couched. 

I  could  not  leave  the  friendly  roof  under  which  I  had 
passed  so  many  pleasant  weeks  without  sincere  regret, 
especially  as  I  was  not  sure  whether  its  hinrhly  esteemed 
inhabitant  might  not  return  to  Europe  during  my  absence  ; 
neither  did  "  my  bosom's  lord  sit  lightly  on  his  throne," 
on  quilting  others  whose  acquaintance  and  intimacy  I 
had  enjoyed.  Although  the  society  of  three  or  four  of 
the  iranslanlic  cities  miglit  be  gayer,  there  were  some  at 
Washington  with  whom  I  felt  more  at  home^  and  conse- 
quently more  loth  to  quit,  than  I  should  be  to  leave  the 
gayeiies  even  of  Paiis  or  Naples  !  Nevertheless,  on 
Monday,  the  19th  of  May,  I  went  to  Baltimore.  The 
day  was  fine,  the  company  in  the  stage  well-informed 
and  pleasing  members  of  the  best  society  ;  so  that  the 
blue  devils  made  a  hurried  retreat.  I  had  for  a  fellow- 
passenger  General  Eustace,  a  highly  esteemed  officer, 
and  he  gave  me  the  following  account  of  the  fearfully 
rapid  attack  which  the  cholera  had  made  upon  some 
troops  under  his  command  in  1^32.  lie  was  on  board 
a  steam-boat  on  Lake  Michigan,  bound  for  Chicago,  on 
the  9lh  of  July,  with  about  two  hundred  men.  Some 
alarmilior  reports  regarding  cholera  having  prevailed,  he 
dci^ired  the  surgeon  to  examine  all  the  men  carefully  on 
Sunday  evening;  the  order  was  obeyed,  and  a  report  of 
their  perfect  healih,  without  one  exception,  returned. 

On  Monday  morning,  he  was  awakened  by  the 
surgeon  telling  him  that  there  was  one  decided  cholera 
case.     He  doubted  it,  but  rose  ;  before  he  was  dressed 

Vol.  L— M 


134  MUSEUM  AT    BALTIMORE. 

the  Steward  reported  another.  He  now  fitted  np  a  sort 
of  hospital  cabin,  removed  tiie  two  sick  men  to  it,  wiih 
the  requisite  orders  for  tending  ihem,  and  went  to  break- 
fast :  by  ilie  lime  he  had  finished  his  meal,  the  two  men 
were  dead,  and  numerous  other  cases  had  occurred. 
They  reached  Chicago  that  afternoon,  and  he  had  then 
thrown  overboard  nineteen  dead,  and  had  to  land 
sixiy-five  helplessly  ill,  few  of  whom  recovered  !  They 
had  no  premonitory  symptoms  ;  no  medicine  afiforded 
the  slightest  relief.  They  were  seized  at  once  with 
fearful  cramps  and  spasms  ;  and  General  Eustace  describ- 
ed their  cries  and  yells  as  having  been  acute  and  dread- 
ful in  the  extreme.  In  a  few  days  there  were  scarcely 
survivors  enough  to  bury  their  comrades  by  fours  and  fives 
in  large  holes,  which  ihey  dug  for  the  purpose. 

While  at  Baliiraore  I  strolled  into  the  museum,  to  see 
the  well-known  figures  of  Tam  O'fehanter  and  Souter 
Johnnie,  which  were  being  exhibited.  I  was  contempla- 
ting them  with  ihe  interest  which  the  home  recollections 
they  suggested  would  naturally  produce,  heightened  not 
a  lilile  by  ihe  pure  broad  Scotch  with  which  the  exhibitor 
explained  to  the  spectators  their  distinctive  peculiarities, 
when  ihe  grolesque  group  received  an  addition  which  I 
shall  not  easily  forget.  Oh  !  how  I  longed  for  the  pencil 
of  a  Wilkie,  or  rather  of  a  Reynolds  !  Indeed  the  poetic 
contrast  uas  stronger  than  that  presented  by  the  struggle 
between  Tragedy  and  Comedy  for  the  great  actor  of  the 
last  century.  How  I  do  now  long  for  the  pen  of  the  Wi- 
zard of  the  JNorth,  tliat  I  nriight  delineate,  for  my  own 
satisfaciion,  or  for  that  of  others,  the  scene  which,  for  a 
few  moments,  I  enjoyed  !  It  was  simply  this.  The 
ixierry  cobler  was  silting  in  stone,  wMth  the  broad  smile 
upon  his  countenance,  and  the  half-emplied  can  in  his 
liaiid,  when  suddenly  I  observed  a  delicate  round  arm 
passed  round  his  neck,  and  a  profusion  of  dark  tresses  min- 
gled with  his  gray  locks  !  It  was  a  young  girl,  of  about 
sixteen  or  seventeen  years,  who,  with  the  naivete  of 
youthful  curiosity,  had  approached  to  lake  a  nearer  view 
of  the  jolly  Souler.  She  was  one  of  the  most  lovely 
creatures  that  ever  I  looked  upon  :  her  hair  was  dark 
and  glossy  ;  her  eyes  black  and   brilliant,  beneath  eye- 


CITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA,  135 

brows  most  delicately  pencilled,  and  shaded  by  lids  the 
fringe  of  which  threatened  to  tickle  her  rosy  cheek  ;  lier 
nose  was  of  that  fine  correct  fornfi  so  distinctive  of  An:)e- 
rican  beauty,  and  round  her  sweet  small  mouth  played 
two  dimples  that  Psyche  might  have  slept  in  ;  her  figure 
and  her  attitude  blended  the  playful  grace  of  the  child 
with  the  sym^metry  of  ripening  bloom ;  and  thus,  in 
delighted  and  unconscious  beauty,  did  she  hang  her  arm 
roimd  Johnny^'s  neck  of  stone,  and  look  into  his  grinning 
visage,  her  arch  eyes  beaming  with  surprise,  and  her  full 
cherry  lips  almost  touching  his  rough  cheek  !  I  could 
not  forbear  gazing  more  intently  perhaps  than  I  ought; 
she  happened  to  look  up,  and,  on  encountering  my  rivet- 
ted  eyes,  she  blushed  deeply,  and  changed  her  position. 
I  turned  and  left  the  room,  for  fear  aught  should  mar  that 
lovely  and  perfect  picture  of  contrast ! 

On  the  following  day  I  went  on  to  Philadelphia,  where 
I  remained  tweniy-four  hours,  and  took  my  place  in  the 
canal  and  railroad  line  from  thence  to  Pittsburgh,  the 
Birmingham  of  the  West,  and  the  extreme  point  of 
Pennsylvania,  being  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles 
from  Philadelphia.  Having  furnished  myself,  by  the 
assistance  of  an  obliging  friend  in  Philadelphia,  with  a 
fleet  dog,  called  or  rather  miscalled,  Peevish,  of  a  mixed 
greyhound  race,  whose  speed  I  proposed  to  try  on  the 
plains  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  I  set  off  on  Friday  morn- 
ing for  Pittsburgh. 

The  opening  of  this  great  railroad,  after  passing  the 
celebrated  water-works  of  Fairraount,  mounts  the  range 
of  hills  which  overlook  the  city  to  the  westward  by  an 
inclined  plane,  the  draught-power  being  placed  in  a 
steam-engine  worked  at  the  summit.  As  the  operation 
of  attaching  the  cars  was  somewhat  tedious,  I  got  out, 
and  walked  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  when  my  eye  was 
gladdened  by  one  of  the  most  delightful  prospects  ima- 
ginable. 

The  morning  was  bright  as  a  young  May  sun  could 
make  it;  the  Schuylkill  wound  gracefully  round  the  base 
of  the  eminence  on  which  I  stood,  his  banks  fringed 
with  the  oak,  the  poplar,  and  the  weeping  willow,  and 
Studded   with    rqany    white    and     smiling    villas,    theiy 


136  LANCASTER  VALE. 

creeper-et>ve7ed  aibours  and  neat  lawn§  reminding  me  of 
some  of  ihose  on  ihe  banks  of  the  Falher  Thames  ; 
while,  stretched  on  the  seaward  plain,  lay  the  peaceful 
oily  of  Brotherly  Love,  its  bright  spires  glittering  above 
the  light  hazy  smoke  which  partly  hid  and  partly  reveal- 
ed the  humbler  buildings  beneath.  No  pen  can  describe 
the  beauty  of  the  forest-foliage  at  this  '*  sweet  hour  of 
prime ;"  so  great  v^as  the  variety  of  tree  and  shrub 
which  clothed  the  undulating  hills  around,  all  spangled 
with  early  dew,  the  brilliant  dog-wood  shining  through 
every  casual  opening,  and  the  lap  of  earth  beneath 
teeming  with  the  honeysuckle,  the  azalia,  the  wild  fusia.^ 
and  hundreds  of  humbler,  though  not  less  lovely,  flow- 
rets. 

Thence  the  railroad  carried  us  through  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  pleasant  valleys  in  America,  or  in  ths 
world,  called  Lancaster  Vale,,  from  the  town  situated  in 
its  bosom.  At  this  season  it  was  one  continued  waving 
sea  of  rye,  clover,  and  wheat  :  the  farm-houses  wero 
almost  all  whitewashed,  with  a  neat  garden  in  front,  and 
on  one  or  each  side  a  large  orchard,  the  trees  of  which 
were  planted  with  the  utmost  regularity,  and  their  fra- 
grant boughs  teeunng  with  blossom;  while  here  and 
there  was  a  favouiite  cow,  with  her  jingling  neck-bel), 
cr  a  pet  po-ny,  croppifrg  tlie  rich  orchard  grass,  and 
revelling,  with  an  almost  Apician  gluttony,  on  the  luxu- 
riant pasture. 

This  part  of  ihe  country  was  chiefly  settled  by  Ger- 
mans ;  indeed,  many  of  them  can  speak  very  little 
English.  They  have  German  preachers,  and  a  (merman 
printing-press  ;  and  yet  so  corrupted  is  their  dialect,  that 
J  very  much  doubt  whether  a  Saxon,  a  Brunswicker,  or 
a  Hanoverian  could  understand  them  readily.  One  old 
man  with  whom  I  spoke,  was  the  third  in  descent, 
American  born,  his  great  grandfather  having,  come  from 
Frankfort;  he  could  speak  neither  language  intelligibly; 
his  son,  however,  a  well-educated  young  man,  joined  in 
the  conversation,  and  said,  *'  Sir,  you  will  not  easily 
understand  this  dialect,  but  I  will  speak  to  you  in 
Luther's  German  ;"  upon  which  he  addressed  several 
sentences    to    me   in  language   tolerably  pure,  both   in 


THE  SUSQUEHANNAH.  137 

grammar  and  pronunciation.  It  is  almost  needless  to 
say,  that  the  above  phrase  derives  its  origin  from  Lu- 
ther's translation  of  the  Bible,  still  in  universal  use 
among  the  Gerinans. 

After  travelling  seventy-two  miles  on  this  railroad,  we 
arrived  at  Columbia,  a  village  that  seems  to  possess  a 
brisk  trade  in  lumber,  judging  from  the  vast  piles  collec- 
ted on  each  side  of  the  road.  Here  my  eye  was  regaled 
by  the  first  view  of  the  sweet  and  now  classic  Susque- 
hannah  ;  and  well  may  that  stream  inspire  the  poet's  pen 
or  limner's  pencil. 

The  river,  opposite  Columbia,  winding  round  the  base 
of  the  hill  which  girds  the  eastern  extremity  of  that 
village,  is  there  broad  and  shallow,  and  its  rippling  cur- 
rent is  broken  by  a  thousand  liiile  islets,  many  of  them 
only  a  few  feet  in  diameter,  but  which  the  profuse  hand 
of  Nature  has  decked  already  with  moss,  grass,  or  shrub, 
although  in  winter  they  are  probably  submerged  ;  but 
now  they  formed  a  complete  fresh-water  archipelago. 
Here  we  left  the  railroad  and  took  to  the  canal-boat, 
which,  to  my  great  delight,  followed  the  course  of  the 
river,  and  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  for  many 
miles,  the  view  of  its  picturesque  and  woodland  banks. 

After  passing  Harrisburgh,  the  canal  leaves  the  Sus- 
quehannah  at  Peiersburgh,  and  courts  her  rival  and 
younger  sister  the  Juniata.  I  confess,  with  shame,  that 
I  had  never  lieard  of  this  river  ;  yet  are  her  unsung  banks 
as  rich  in  foliage,  in  pleasant  farms,  in  every  variety  of 
beauty,  as  hers  which  are  consecrated  by  the  Legend  of 
Gertrude  :  the  average  size  of  the  channel  appears  to  me 
to  be  much  the  same  as  that  of  "  royal-towered  Thame'' 
at  Windsor.  The  packets,  or  track-boats,  as  they  are 
here  called,  are  tolerably  comfortable  ;  and  their  rate  of 
going  is  about  four  miles  an  hour;  which  I  preferred  to 
greater  speed,  as  it  enabled  me  in  the  evening  and  morn- 
ing, when  the  heat  was  not  intense,  to  walk  many  miles 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fresh  hill  breeze  and  the  lovely 
everchanging  scenery. 

The  company  on  board  these  boats  is  very  mixed, 
including  every  grade,  from  the  operative  lo  the  highest 
class  in  Philadelphia.     I  was  very  fortunate  in  meeting 


138  INQLISITIVE  TRAVELLRRS. 

wiih  an  elderly  gentleman  well  known  as  one  of  ifie 
most  eminent  and  accurate  reporters  in  this  country. 
His  abilities  are  employed  in  the  service  of  the  National 
Intelligencer ;  a  paper  conducted  by  gentlemen,  and 
remarkable  in  these  days  of  political  profligacy  for  advo- 
cating moderate  sound  opinions,  as  well  for  a  rigid 
abstinence  from  that  tone  of  virulence  and  personality 
which  disgraces  a  great  many  American,  and  not  a  few 
British,  newspapers.  I  tliink  1  understood  him  to  say 
that  his  remuneration  from  this  paper,  as  a  reporter,  was 
about  3000  dollars  (between  6  and  700/.)  per  annum. 

I  enjoyed  much  agreeable  and  not  uninstruciive  con- 
versation with  this  gentleman,  and  I  never  saw  the 
autumn  of  life  adorned  with  more  sober  or  more  cheerful 
hues  :  happy  in  his  home,  honoured  by  his  children, 
with  a  good  consiitution  and  a  religious  and  contented 
spirit,  and  maintaining  his  opinions,  which  were  strong 
and  somewhat  peculiar,  with  all  the  warmth  and  eneray 
of  youth,  I  could  not  help  wishing,  that  thirty  years 
hence,  if  I  am  destined  so  long  to  live,  my  mind  and 
body  might  be  in  a  similarly  happy  frame. 

I  found  an  amusing  contrast  in  the  manners  of  some 
western  travellers,  who  were  cast  in  a  rougher  mould  : 
they  were  not  satisfied  till  they  had  found  out  who  I 
was,  where  I  came  from,  why  1  came,  where  I  was  go- 
ing to,  how  long  I  meant  to  stay,  and,  in  additian  ta  these 
pariiculars,  how  much  my  umbrella  cost,  and  what  was 
the  price  of  mv  hat.  Thi-s  last  inquiry  was  followed 
by  the  party  taking  it  up  from  the  bench,  and  putting  it 
on  his  Jiead,  which  was  not  very  cool,  neither  did  it  ap- 
pear to  have  suffered  much  annoyance  from  water  or 
from  comb ;  luckily  the  hat  did  not  fit,  and  after  giving 
it  two  or  three  stout  pulls  in  a  vain  attempt  to  draw  it 
over  his  scalp,  he  returned  it  to  me.  Another  fellow 
saw  me  smoking  a  Carbaiios  cigar ;  he  asked  me, 
^'  Stranger,  have  you  got  another  o{  them  things  ?  I  will 
give  you  a  cent  for  one"  (a  halfpenny).  J  immediately 
gave  him  one,  saying,  in  perfect  good-humour,  "  I  will  not 
sell  you  one,  but  I  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will  accept 
this."  To  my  surprise  be  became  irritated  and  angry, 
and  tried  two  or  three  times  to  force  the  cent  upon  me. 


NOCTURNAL  ANNOYANCE.  139 

I  refused  as  stoutly;  and  at  length  told  him,  that  if  he 
was  determined  to  buy  and  not  accept  ihe  cigar,  1  sliould 
charge  him  half  a  dollar  for  it.  Tliis  view  of  the  case 
induced  him  to  take  it  gratis,  but  he  seemed  annoyed, 
and  by  no  means  grateful. 

I  record  these  curious  traits  as  more  or  less  indicative 
of  the  western  yeoman  :  that  these  sturdy  fellows  are 
less  civil  or  good-humoured  than  those  of  a  similar  class 
in  Lancashire  or  Yorkshire,  I  neither  say  nor  think  ;  but 
doubtless  their  freedom  of  manner  and  conduct  would  be 
reckoned  impertinent  in  any  other  country. 

On  the  eve  of  the  25th  we  arrived,  about  four,  at  a 
place  where  one  of  the  locks  was  undergoing  some 
repairs,  and  consequently  the  boat  could  proceed  no 
farther  until  they  were  completed;  an  operation  which 
was  expected  to  last  some  three  or  four  hours.  1  was 
informed  that  it  was  only  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  to 
Holydaysburgh,  where  the  canal  terminates,  and  the 
jouiney  is  resumed  the  following  morning  on  a  railroad 
across  the  Alleghanies.  I  accordingly  left  the  boat,  and 
with  my  stout  stick  in  my  hand,  and  Peevish  gamboling 
at  my  side,  I  set  off  on  foot  over  the  hills  to  Holydays- 
burgh. The  evening  was  beautiful,  but  the  heat  was 
very  severe  for  pedestrian  exercise  ;  however,  I  trudged 
merrily  along  over  a  wooded  and  somewhat  rough  coun- 
try, and  a  few  hours  brought  me  to  the  village,  where  I 
supped.  In  an  evil  moment,  1  determined  to  sleep  in 
the  tavern  instead  of  in  the  close  cabin  of  the  track-boat, 
where  our  hammocks  were  slung  in  tiers  three  deep,  and 
a  "  stout  gentleman''  might  have  found  some  dithcully 
in  creeping  into  them. 

Having  procured  a  sleeping  apartment  with  only  two 
beds  in  it,  I  hired  them  both,  under  a  pretext  of  a  friend 
about  to  follow  me,  and  comforted  myself  with  the  deli- 
cious prospect  of  solitude  and  quiet.  Heu,  votum  ig- 
7iarce  menfes  f  Scarcely  had  I  "quenched  the  flammg 
minister"  and  nestled  myself  in  the  least  dirty-looking  of 
the  beds,  when  forth  rushed  from  tester,  pillow,  and  post, 
a  horde  of  those  ''  blastet  wonners,"  whose  name  I  abhor 
to  write : — the  well-remembered  night  spent  at  Pico 
presented  its  horrors  to  my  memory  ;  and  after  bestow- 


140  CROSS  THE  ALLEGHANIES. 

ing  hundreds  of  random  blows  upon  every  part  of  my 
assaulted  person,  J  rose  and  beat  the  whole  blankeied 
field  of  battle  with  a  large  towel.  'T  was  all  in  vain  : 
after  suffering  about  two  hours  of  this  annoyance,  my 
servant  came  in  wiih  a  candle,  by  the  assistance  of  which 
I  slew  five  of  the  ringleaders  ;  but  after  his  departure, 
the  "rebel  rout"  returned  to  the  charge  and  gained  an 
easy  victory. 

In  addition  to  the  draughts  of  pleasure  which  I  thus 
took  in  through  the  sense  of  touch,  I  might  also  men- 
lion  olheis  which  T  enjoyed  through  that  of  hearing,  such 
as  the  baying,  yelping,  and  howling  of  seven  or  eight 
dogs  in  tlie  yard  below,  whose  power  of  voice  was  only 
equalled  by  its  endurance.  Sleep  would  not  "  light  on 
iny  lids,"  and  1  arose  at  daylight,  unrefresheJ  and 
wounded  as  if  I  had  slept  over  a  wasp's  nest. 

Upon  mentioning  to  the  landlord  the  undesired  com- 
pany with  which  I  had  been  favoured,  he  said,  "  Yes,  it 
is  rather  unpleasant."  I  agreed  with  him,  and  with 
much  satisfaction  bade  adieu  to  him  and  his  temple  of 
vermin. 

.  On  Monday  morning  I  entered  the  railroad  car  that  was 
to  convey  me  across  the  Alleghanies.  We  had  to  go  up 
many  inclined  planes  before  we  could  reach  the  summit. 
Some  passengers  are  much  alarmed  at  that  part  of  the 
journey,  because  all  the  cars  are  attached  by  one  lope, 
which  hauls  ihem  up  the  hill  by  ihe  power  of  a  steam- 
engine  ;  and  if  it  were  to  break,  the  cars  and  all  their 
contents  would  probably  be  dashed  to  pieces.  I  never 
felt  this  alarm  :  why  should  it  break?  the  rope  is  thick 
and  very  strong  ;  and  I  cannot  understand  why  people 
whose  whole  existence  depends  constantly  upon  strings 
and  fibres  finer  than  thread,  should  fear  to  trust  it  to  the 
security  of  a  ca!)le  !  Yet  such  are  the  contradictions 
commonly  incidental  to  human  nature. 

7'he  passage  over  the  mountain  is  one  continued  scene 
of  rough  wild  woodland.  Tlie  railroad  is  carried  along 
the  sides  of  ridges  of  considerable  height,  and  almost 
precipitous  ;  where  I  should  think  that  persons  troubled 
with  nerves  might  be  now  and  then  annoyed  and  alarm- 
ed.    On  our  descent  from  the  summit,  the  horses  got 


ARRIVAL    AT    JOIrmsTOWiN".  HI 

friLThtencd  twice  ;  the  first  time,  on  meeting  another  Une 
of'^cars,  they  turned  round  and  got  jammed  between  the 
two  hnes,  whence  there  was  some  ditiicuky  in  extricating 
ihem  ;  the  second  time,  they  went  down  a  sleep  bank, 
about  twenty  feet  deep,  and  if  it  had  occurred  a  little 
sooner  or  later,  it  must  have  been  fatal  to  them,  and 
might  have  been  so  to  lis.  However,  we  arrived  in  safe- 
ty ^at  Johnstown,  where  we  were  transferred  again  to 
the  canal  which  follows  the  course  of  the  river  Cone- 
maugh,  and  we  felt  that  the  journey  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  as  the  waters  now  ran  to  the  west — all  of  them 
hurrying  through  their  multitudinous  channels  to  swell 
the  mighty  tide  of  the  Mississippi.  After  travelling  some 
distance  along  the  banks  of  the  Conemaugh,  its  name, 
probably  from  some  intermediate  tributary  stream,  is 
changed  to  the  Kis-kiminitas  ;  the  pronunciation  of  which 
among  a  parly  of  strangers  gives  rise  to  much  merri- 
ment and  laughter.  On  both  sides  of  its  channel  aie 
extensive  salt  works,  and  coal  and  lime  abound.  The 
earth  is  bored  to  the  depth  of  six  or  seven  hundred  feet, 
a  copper  tube  is  inserted,  and  the  salt  water  being  drawn 
up  by  a  pump,  the  salt  is  extracted  by  boiling:  the 
whole  process  being  carried  on  by  the  assistance  of  steam. 
The  salt  finds  a  ready  market  at  Pittsburgh,  'Uhe  Bir. 
mingham  of  the  West. 

One  of  the  principal  engineers  who  had  been  employ- 
ed in  constructing  this  railroad,  happened  to  be  wiih  us, 
and  from  him  I  gathered  some  of  the  subjoined  particu- 
lars. The  length  of  the  canal  and  rail  line  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Pitts'burgh,  is  three  hundred  and  eighty-three 
miles,  of  which  about  one  hundred  and  twelve  are  rail- 
road ;  the  cost  of  the  whole  was  1,600,000^  dollars, 
about  350,000/.;  the  height  of  "the  summit"  is  two 
thousand  three  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  fourteen 
hundred  above  the  canal  at  the  base.  There  are  two 
tunnels  of  considerable  length  in  the  course  of  the  whole 
line  :  the  first  is  a  railroad  tunnel,  ihrough  one  of  the 
spurs  of  the  Alleghany  mountain,  nine  hundred  feet  long, 
and  the  hill  above  it  is  between  two  and  three  hundred 
feet  high  ;  the  second  is  a  canal  tunnel  of  similar  di- 
mensions, and  passing  also  under  a  mountain.     I  learned 


142  RAILROAD. 

with  much  surprise  that  the  former  of  these  vast  excava- 
tions had  cost  only  5000/. 

The  whole  line  reflects  the  highest  credit  both  on  the 
engineers  and  on  the  state*  The  detail  is  certainly  very 
faulty,  as  the  rate  of  travelling  is  unnecessarily  slow 
(about  four  miles  an  hour,  including  stoppages),  and  we 
were  obhged  to  go  back  a  mile  once  or  twice,  through 
meeting  olher  cais  at  places  where  we  could  not  pass  ; 
but  these  are  trifles  which  a  few  months  will  probably  re- 
medy, and  which  it  would  be  invidious  and  foolish  to 
carp  at,  when  we  consider  the  difficulties  that  have  been 
overcome,  the  wonderful  facilities  of  transportation  that 
have  been  acquired,  and  the  mingled  courage  and  per- 
severance with  which  the  rugged  chain  of  the  Ailegha- 
nies  have  been  obliored  to  "  bend  their  slifl"  necks,"  and 
lend  their  rough  backs,  to  carry  the  comforts  and  luxu- 
ries of  life  between  the  Atlantic  cities  and  the  "  Great 
Valley." 

At  Freeport  we  joined  the  course  of  the  Alleghany 
river,  and  mingled  our  muddy  Kis-kiminatian  waters 
wiih  its  clear  and  transparent  stream.  I'he  country  now 
assumed  a  more  tame  and  settled  appearance,  while  tlie 
continual  recurrence  of  coal-smoke  and  steam-engines 
reminded  us  of  our  return  to  civilization.  Pittsburgh 
stands  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahe- 
la,  from  ihe  union  of  which  two  rivers  springs  the  ma- 
jestic Ohio.  The  town  is,  like  all  other  busy  manufac- 
turing towns,  an  emporium  of  smoke  and  dirt.  The 
inns  are  in  character  with  ihe  town  ;  and,  though  it  is 
situated  on  tlie  delta  formed  by  two  beautiful  rivers,  and 
the  neighbouring  country  is  both  rich  and  variegated, 
still  I  know  nothing  that  need  detain  a  stranger  there, 
unless  he  is  anxious  to  make  an  accurate  investigation 
into  the  state  of  its  manufactures. 

It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  add  that  Pittsburgh  was 
originally  a  French  settlement,  called  Fort  du  Quesne. 
The  French  were  remarkable  for  the  sagacity  which 
they  showed  in  the  choice  of  their  posts,  and  conse- 
quently did  not  overlook  the  eligible  situation,  both  in 
regard  to  military  objects  and  to  Indian  trade,  which 
was  aflforded  by  the  confluence  of  these  great  rivers.     It 


THE    MARKET.  143 

was  near  this  spot  that  Braddock  paid  the  penalty  of  his 
rash  and  ignorant  obstinacy  with  his  iife  ;  and  also  ihat 
one  of  Qiy  countrymen,  Colonel  (Jrant,  with  nearly  a 
thousand  followers,  mostly  Highlanders,  fell  on  the  side 
of  a  hill  which  siiU  bears  his  nanie. 

1  fetrolled  into  the  market,  and  for  several  minutes  really 
fancied  myself  in  one  of  the  smaller  quarters  of  (ilas- 
gow^  or  Birmingham,  so  loud  was  the  din,  so  smoke- 
blacked  were  the  bricks,  so  noisy  were  the  dogs  gather- 
ed round  the  shambles,  and  so  "proudly  eminent'' above 
all  other  sounds  was  Paddy's  vernacular  voice,  male  of 
famale,  whether  raised  in  fun,  bargain,  or  wrath  !  The 
only  item  calculated  to  dispel  the  illusion  was  the  num- 
ber of  broad-faced  and  broad-sierned,  fair-haired  butch- 
ers, whose  native  land  might  easily  be  guessed,  without 
Yankee  ingenuity,  and  without  looking  at  the  boards 
over  their  stalls,  with  their  various  inscriptions  of 
*'  Schmidt,"  "  Reinhardt,"  "  Hermann,"  &c.  The  price 
of  the  best  beef  was  about  eight  cents  (or  4J.)  per  lb. 

The  'principal  manufactures  in  this  town  are  iron, 
steam-engines,  cutlery,  cotton  and  woollen,  tin  and  cop- 
per, and  glass.  In  all  these,  great  facility  is  afforded  by 
the  abundance  and  proximity  of  coal,  which  is  worked, 
with  small  trouble  and  expense,  by  horizontal  shafts 
penetrating  the  sides  of  the  adjacent  mountains,  where 
the  coal  strata  are  very  thick  and  regular.  The  means 
of  water-carriage  are  already  most  extensive,  and  addi- 
tional canals,  in  a  northerly  and  norlh-westerly  direction, 
are  in  contemplation,  or  perhaps,  in  progress. 

As  I  wished  to  arrive  as  soon  as  possible  at  St.  Louis, 
I  did  not  visit  the  singular  establishment  of  Mr.  Rapp, 
(the  German  Owen),  at  Economy — a  prettily  situated  vil- 
lage, about  eighteen  miles  below  l^itlshurgh  ;  I  have 
heard  much  of  its  neatness,  and  of  the  strange  nature  of 
its  various  arrangements.  There  are  several  factories, 
and  the  inhabitants,  who  arc  mostly  Germans,  are  quiet 
and  industrious  in  their  habits.  Mr.  Rapp  is  the  patri- 
arch of  the  settlement ;  his  word  is  law  ;  and  he  acts  in 
the  capacity  of  clergyman,  judge,  and  director.  No 
marriage  is  allowed  ;  and  various  other  ab^jurd  regula- 
tions are  observed,  the  general  impracticability  of  which 


144  EMBA-RK    ON    THE    OHIO. 

is  concealed  by  the  diminutive  scale  on  which  they  are 
practised,  by  the  autliority  of  the  chief,  by  the  respecta- 
bility of  the  settlers,  and  by  the  beauty  and  attraction  of 
the  situation.  I  have  seen  some  tolerable  silks  that  have 
been  made  and  dved  in  this  establishment. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Embark  on  the  Ohio. — Banks  of  the  River. — Wheeling. — Remark- 
able Indian  Mound. — Risings  of  the  River — Arrival  at  Cincin- 
nati.— The  Town. — The  Museum. — Manufacture. — Mrs.  Trollope's 
Bazaar — her  erroneous  Statements. — Prosperity  of  Cincinnati. — 
Hospitality  of  its  Inhabitants. — American  Servants. — The  Cholera. 
— Contrast  between  the  Slates  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky. — Character 
of  the  Kentuckians. — Brutal  Method  of  Fighting. 

Having  spent  a  day  at  Piitsbnroh,  T  committed  my- 
self to  the  bosom  of  *'  La  Belle  Rwiere^''  (as  the  French 
Ui^ed  to  call  the  Ohio),  on  the  first  steam-boat  with  a 
high  pressure  engine  that  I  had  yet  seen.  The  noise, 
the  furious  and  vain  attempt  made  by  the  confined  caloric 
to  escape,  and  the  violent  shaking  of  the  ves^sel,  render 
it  more  disagreeable  than  those  impelled  by  low-pressure 
engines;  and,  however  the  western  worthies  may  wish 
to  disguise  tlie  truth,  they  are  much  more  dangerous. 
While  on  board,  I  read  an  account  of  the  bursting  of  a 
boiler  a  few  days  previously,  lower  down  the  river,  by 
which  thirty  or  forty  persons  were  killed  or  missing !  I 
heard  a  rough  Kentuckian  chap  relating,  that  he  had 
been  on  board  the  steamer  at  the  time  of  the  explosion  ; 
he  said  he  felt  a  sort  of  a  "queer  shake,  but  he  did  not 
mind  it  at  all ;"  and  he  concluded  his  piihv  narration  of 
the  death  of  these  thirty  or  forty  luckless  victims  by  say- 
ing, "  It  was  d — d  lucky,  it  was  only  a  parcel  of  these 
Dutch  ;"  meaning  thereby  that  the  sufferers  were  chiefly 
German  emigrants. 

The  Ohio  is  indeed  a  noble  and  majestic  stream,  flow- 
ing between  hi  oh  and  undulating  banks  teemiiiii  with  a 
profusion  of  foliage,  which  includes  every  verdant  hue 
from  the   willow   to  the  cedar.     Wherever  clearances 


WHEELING*— GRAVE     CREEK.  145 

have  been  made,  the  trees  immediately  on  the  vi^ater's 
edge  liave  been  spared,  in  order  that  iheir  huge  trunks 
and  wide-spread  roots  might  break  the  force  of  ihe  cur- 
rent, which  rises  after  the  melting  of  the  snows  to  an  ex- 
traordinary height.  I  observed  many  of  ihem  growing, 
twenty  or  ihiriy  feet  perpendicular,  above  the  present 
elevaiion  of  the  stream,  wiih  the  soil  completely  wash- 
ed fri^^m  their  base,  and  their  sinewy  fibrous  roots  exposed 
above  the  earth,  and  giving  clear  evidence  of  the  furious 
attacks  which  they  had  resisted.  This  perpetual  fringe  of 
verdure,  together  with  tiie  equable  and  quiet  nature  of 
the  current,  gives  a  tone  of  beauty  and  repose  lo  this 
river  that  J  have  never  seen  equalled  ;  while  its  nume- 
rous bends,  and  the  islands  which  here  and  there  break 
its  uniformity,  prevent  the  eye  from  being  cloyed  by  the 
profuse  and  interminable  mass  of  foliage. 

After  passing  Wellsburgh  and  several  other  villages 
which  bore  a  busy  and  thriving  appearance,  we  arrived 
at  Wheeling,  situated  on  the  extreme  north-western 
point  of  Virginia.  This  is  a  town  of  considerable  and 
increasing  importance  ;  the  soil  is  alluvial,  and  the  great- 
est obstacle  to  its  becoming  a  very  wealthy  city,  appears 
to  be  the  extreme  narrowness  of  the  ledge  on  which  it 
is  built,  there  being  but  a  small  area  between  the  moun- 
tains and  the  river;  so  that  the  streets,  if  extended, 
must  be  extended  only  longitudinally.  Tlie  neighbour- 
hood abounds  with  coal  ;  and  the  great  national  western 
road  passes  through  this  town,  which  cbrftains  probably 
from  seven  to  eigtit  thousand  inhabitants. 

Among  other  objects  of  interest,  a  spot  was  pointed 
out  to  me,  about  fifteen  miles  below  Wheeling,  by  the 
side  of  a  stream,  called,  if  I  remember  right,  Grave 
Creek — an  Indian  mound,  composed  of  bones  and 
skulls.  Jt  is  between  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  two 
hundred  yards  in  circumference  at  the  base,  seventy 
feel  high,  and  sixty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  summit,  which 
is  concave  ;  the  whole  is  regular  and  uniform  in  its  con- 
struction. By  what  race  and  in  what  age  these  gigantic 
mounds  were  raised,  has  hitherto  been,  and  probably 
ever  will  be,  an  unexplained  mystery  :  it  seems  liighly 
improbable    that   they  were  constructed  bv  any  Indian 

Vol.  I.— N 


146  RISINGS     O'P    THE    RIVER. 

tribes,  so  vast  are  iheir  dimensions,  and  so  greai  the  la- 
bour necessary  lo  build  them,  as  well  as  the  population 
requisite  to  fill  ihem. 

The  average  breadlh  of  the  Ohio,  between  Pillsburgh 
and  Cincinnati,  is  six  hundred  yards,  but  it  varies  more 
than  most  rivers  at  the  different  seasons  of  ihe  year; 
indeed,  the  "  freshes,"  or  rapid  risings  to  which  it  is  lia- 
ble after  heavy  rains,  are  productive  of  great  inconve- 
nience and  sometimes  of  danger  to  ihe  residents  near  its 
banks.  As  an  instance  of  the  former,  I  might  mention 
the  impossibility  of  erecting  wharfs  or  quays  at  different 
commercial  ports,  where  ihe  want  of  such  conveniences 
is  but  poorly  supplied  by  house-boats,  or  floating  wharfs, 
moored  close  to  ihe  shore.  I  was  lold  that  two  or  three 
years  ago  ihe  river  rose  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  flooded 
all  the  lower  parts  of  Cincinnati  and  olher  towns,  so  that 
the  inhabiianls  were  reduced  to  the  gondola  for  their 
daily  iniercoiirse  ;  provisions  were  introduced  into  the 
hoitses  through  the  windows  of  the  second  and  third  story, 
and   steam-boats  plyed  lo  and  from  the  market-place. 

The  only  fault  of  ihe  scenery,  in  descending  ihis  noble 
river,  is  ihe  rich  endless  varieiy  of  foliage  which  its 
banks  present  to  the  eye,  and  the  want  of  any  breaks  or 
vistas  by  which  a  view  of  the  adjacent  counlry  could  be 
here  and  there  obtained  :  it  is  self-evident,  from  what  has 
been  said  of  the  rising  of  the  water,  that  such  a  pictu- 
resque luxury  w-ould  be  most  destructive  to  the  banks. 

On  the  last  day  of  spring  I  arrived  at  Cincinnati,  that 
precocious  daughier  of  the  \^'est,  that  seems  to  have 
sprung,  like  the  fabled  goddess  of  war  and  wisdom,  into 
existence,  in  the  full  panoply  of  manufacturinor  and  com- 
mercial armour,  lis  situation  is  admirably  chosen  both 
for  convenience  and  beauty,  as  it  stands  on  a  plain  gently 
inclininir  towards  the  river;  the  area  of  this  plain  is 
nearly  four  miles  in  diameter,  bounded  on  the  north, 
north-east,  and  north-west  by  an  undulating  well-wooded 
range  of  hills,  from  the  top  of  which  the  view  of  the 
fertile  vale,  the  ciiy,  and  the  sweeping  river,  with  its 
broad  bosom  speckled  by  steamers  and  other  boats,  is 
one  of  the  loveliest  that  the  eye  can  desire. 

The  streets  in  this  city  are  laid  out  rectangularly  ;  and 


CINCINNATI.  147 

tliiis  the  eye,  in  looking  along  ihe  greater  part  of  thenn, 
rests  upon  the  hills  before  described,  which  gives  a  fresli- 
ness  to  the  prospect  rarely  to  be  found  in  a  town.  Many 
of  the  private  houses  are  large  and  con:inaodious,  and 
some  of  them  surrounded  by  pleasant  and  neatly  cultivat- 
ed gardens  ;  there  are  about  thirty  churches,  a  college, 
a  lunatic  asylum,  and  one  for  orphans,  and  other  public 
buildings  usually  found  in  a  wealthy  city. 

The  museum  contains  little  worthy  of  notice  ;  more- 
over, its  contents,  mean  as  they  are,  are  miserably  defi- 
cient in  order  and  arrangement.  I  was  surprised  and 
disappointed,  as  I  had  heard  much  of  the  valuable 
collection  to  be  seen  in  this  establishment.  There  are 
a  few  fossil  mammoth  bones  of  extraordinary  size,  and 
also  a  number,  of  skulls  found  in  some  of  the  ancient 
mounds,  differing  materially  in  form  from  those  of  the 
modern  race  of  Indians.  There  are  also  several  banks 
and  insurance  compaiiies,  and  about  twenty  periodical 
publications,  three  or  four  of  which  are  daily  papers  ;  I 
also  saw  one  German  weekly  paper,  Der  Deutsche 
Frariklin*  as  well  written,  and  better  printed  than  most 
of  those  which  I  have  seen  in  the  provincial  towns  in 
Germany. 

The  chief  article  of  manufacture  (though  there  are 
many  others  of  inferior  extent),  is  iron,  in  every  form 
and  shape,  especially  in  the  construction  of  steam-en- 
gines. I  am  told  that  about  one  third  of  the  steamers 
on  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio,  amounting,  in  all,  to  nearly 
fi\re  hundred,  have  been  built  here.  The  population,  as 
near  as  I  can  form  a  calculation  from  observation  and  in- 
quiry, is  about  forty  thousand.  They  are  chiefly  com- 
posed of  emigrants  from  New  England,  from  Germany, 
from  all  parts  of  the  States,  and,  indeed,  of  the  woild. 

Tlie  building  which  is  the  most  absurd,  ugly,  and 
ridiculous  in  the  town,  exhibiting  a  want  of  taste  and  in- 
vention only  equalled  by  the  contempt  which  it  displays 
for  every  rule  of  architecture,  gothic  or  classic,  is  the 
bazaar  built  by  Mrs.  TroUope  ;  a  lady  who  did  all  that 
lay  within  the  power  of  her  clever  and  caricaturing  pen  to 

*  The  German  Franklin. 


148  MANUFACTURES. 

hold  np  the  inhabitanls  of  Cincinnati  to  the  ridicule  of  the 
civilized  world,  as  regards  their  niauneis,  their  habits, 
and  their  trisle.  I'his  bazaar  is  a  large  non-descript 
edifice  of  l)rick,  with  a  stone,  or  iniiiation  of  stone,  face  : 
it  has  pillars,  a  cupola,  ^oihic  windows  surnnounied  by 
Grecian  architraves,  and  scraps  of  every  order  (or  dis- 
order), from  a  square  brick  box  to  an  Ionic  volute  ! 
JNeillier  can  I  compliment  the  lady's  sagacity  any  more 
than  her  taste  ;  as  m  lliis  thriving  city  her  speculation  is, 
probably,  the  most  signal  and  complete  failure  that  has 
occurred  since  its  setilem.enl  !  After  losing  the  greater 
part  of  the  money  embarked  in  it,  she  was  obliged  to 
leave  it  unfinished. 

As  far  as  my  short  visit  enabled  me  to  judge,  her  ac- 
curacy of  description  is  upon  a  par  with  the  monuments 
which  she  has  left  here  of  her  speculative  sagacity  and 
taste.  I  have  been  in  company  with  ten  or  twelve  of 
the  resident  families,  and  have  not  seen  one  single  in- 
stance of  rudeness,  vulgarii}^  or  incivility  ;  while  the 
shortness  of  the  invitations,  and  absence  of  constraint 
and  display,  render  the  society  more  agreeable,  in  some 
respects,  than  that  of  more  fashionable  cities.  If  the 
proposition  stated  is  merely  this  ;  "  that  the  manners  of 
Cincinnati  are  not  so  polished  as  those  of  the  best  circles 
in  London,  Paris,  or  Berlin ;  that  her  luxuries,  whether 
culinary  or  displayed  in  carriacres,  houses,  or  amuse- 
ments, are  also  of  a  lower  cast ;"  I  suppose  none  would 
be  so  absurd  as  to  deny  it.  I  hope  few  would  be  weak 
enough  gravely  to  inform  the  world  of  so  self-evident  a 
truth  ;  but  I  will,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  assert, 
that  the  history  of  the  world  does  not  produce  a  parallel 
to  Cincinnati  in  rapid  growth  of  wealth  and  pc^pulalion. 
Of  all  the  cities  that  have  been  founded  by  mighty  sove- 
reigns or  nations,  with  an  express  view  to  their  becom- 
ing the  capitals  of  empires,  there  is  not  one  that,  in 
twenty-seven  years  from  iis  foundation,  could  show  such 
a  mass  of  manufacture,  enterprise,  population,  wealth, 
and  social  comfort,  as  that  of  which  1  have  given  a  short 
and  imperfect  outline  in  the  last  two  or  three  pages;  and 
Tvhich  owes  its  magnitude  to  no  adsciiitious  favour  or  en- 
couragement, but  to  the  judgment  with  which  the  situa- 


PROSPERITY.  149 

tion  was  chosen,  and  to  the  admirable  use  which  its  in- 
habilai.ls  have  made  thereof. 

When  I  think  of  the  short  period  that  has  elapsed  since 
the  red  Indian,  the  bear,  the  elk,  and  the  butfalo  roamed 
through  these  hills  ;  since  the  river  (bearing  on  its  bosona 
nothing  but  the  bark  canoe,  or  tlie  flat  bottomed  boat  of 
the  Indian  trader)  flowed  in  silence  through  the  massive 
and  impenetrable  forest ;  and  turn  from  that  fancied  pic- 
ture to  the  one  now  before  my  eyes,  displaying  crowded 
and  busy  streets,  rattling  with  drays  and  carriages  ;  fac- 
tories on  all  sides,  resounding  with  the  regular  and 
mighty  swing  of  the  engine  ;  numerous  taper  spires 
pointing  to  heaven  ;  thence  turn  to  the  river,  and  see  it 
alive  wiih  streaming  commerce;  and,  look  beyond  over 
the  villages,  the  neat  farms,  the  orchards,  and  the  gardens 
— I  am  filled  with  astonishment  and  admiration  at  the 
enercry  and  industry  of  man,  and  with  pride  at  the  self- 
suggested  reflection,  that  this  metamorphosed  wilderness 
is  tiie  work  of  Britain's  sons ;  and  I  do  pity,  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  the  man  (and,  above  all  others,  the 
Englishman)  who  can  see  nothing  in  such  a  scene,  but 
food  for  unjust  comparisons,  sneers,  raillery,  and  ridicule  ! 

I  rode  out  twice  to  take  a  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  My  only  acquaintance  in  the  city  was  with  a 
family  whom  I  had  never  seen  before  my  arrival,  but 
some  members  of  which  I  had  known  at  Fayal  ;  and 
with  a  Scotch  gentleman  and  his  w\(e,  whom  I  had  met 
at  Washington,  and  who  had  lately  arrived  ;  and  yet, 
with  these  small  means  of  introduction  to  society,  I  re- 
ceived invitations  for  the  evening,  several  for  dinner, 
and  was  obliged  to  decline  two  or  three  polite  ofl'ers  of 
a  saddle-horse,  from  persons  to  whom  I  had  been  oi  ly 
introduced  a  few  hours  before.  On  both  occasions  when 
I  rode  out,  1  went  in  company  with  ladies  ;  and  there 
was  nothing  in  any  of  the  detail  of  the  equipage  that 
would  have  caused  a  smile  in  a  riding  party  m  Windsor 
or  Richmond  Park,  except  that  the  horses  are  wont  to 
rack  or  pace — a  kind  of  gait  that  I  think  equally  un- 
graceful and  disajTreeable,  but  doubtless  combming  easy 
motion  with  tolerable  speed. 

The  gentry  in  our  European  cities  could  not  conceive. 


150  AMERICAN    SERTANTS. 

and  could  hardly  be  made  to  understand,  the  difficulties 
in  which  those  of  their  class  find  themselves  here  in  re- 
gard to  servanis.  Tlie  latter  are  indeed  the  most  capri- 
cious of  lyranis.  Wealthy  and  respecia''>le  families,  instead 
of  their  proper  complement  of  servnnls,  are  sotnelimes 
left  with  one  or  two  mai(is  in  the  house,  and  are  unable 
to  give  a  dinner  to  their  neighbours.  Moreover,  these 
said  tyrants  stay  exactly  as  long  as  they  please  ;  a 
month,  a  week,  a  day,  and  leave  without  a  moment's 
warninor,  sure  of  finding  immediate  employment. 

On  the  second  morning  after  my  arrival,  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  tavern  in  which  I  lodoed  went  to  market,  as 
usual,  early,  leaving  jiis  kilchen  full  of  servants,  about 
to  prepare  breakfast  for  one  hundred  and  fifiy  or  two 
hundred  ;  on  his  return,  he  found  that  the  said  meal  was 
not  forthcoming  with  its  ordinary  alacrity  ;  and  on  going 
into  his  kitchen,  discovered  that  his  cook  and  four  of  his 
kitchen-maids  had  left  him,  none  of  them  having  thought 
it  worth  while  to  tell  of  their  intention.  He  said  they 
%vould  come  or  send,  in  a  few  days,  for  their  waoes,  and 
if  they  were  not  immediately  paid,  would  sue  him  ! 

My  occupations  and  ainusements  in  Cincinnati  were 
most  disairreeabl}^  interrupted  by  a  severe  attack  of 
cholera.  This  painful  disorder  had  lately  re-appeared 
in  several  places  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  and,  although 
its  ravages  were  not  so  extensive  as  in  the  year  1832, 
they  were  sufficient  to  fill  the  town  with  alarm,  and  to 
cause  similar  precautionary  and  sanatory  regulations  to 
those  which  had  been  before  observed.  I  was  for  three 
days  under  its  baneful  influence. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  after  I  had  gone 
through  the  violent  depletions  which  affect  the  stocnach 
in  the  first  stages  of  the  disorder,  the  total  prostration  of 
strengih,  and  the  sharp  convulsive  cramps  which  J  ex- 
perienced in  my  leg>^,  ^^ave  reason  to  believe  I  should 
probably  not  recover.  I  now  dictated  and  signed  a  short 
letter,  and  a  few  testamentary  paiticul;irs,  addressed  to 
the  Witish  Legation  at  Washington,  addino  a  superscrip- 
tion, that  the  seal  was  not  to  be  liroken  until  the  news  of 
my  death  was   confirmed.*     After  this    I    recollect  but 

*  On  my  return  to  Washington  next  year,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
burning  this  my  Cincinnati  will. 


OHIO  AND  KENTUCKY.  151 

liltle  of  what  passed  for  some  hours.  My  servant  said, 
that  my  "  face  was  just  the  colour  of  lead  ;"  and  the  phy- 
sician who  attended  me  told  me  atierwards,  that  he  gave 
me,  in  an  hour  and  a  half,  one  hundred  and  eighty  grains 
of  calomel,  in  three  doses  of  sixty  grains  each.  A  sort 
of  lethargy  into  which  I  had  fahen,  was  succeeded  by 
a  more  natural  sleep;  and  on  the  tliird  day,  the  crisis 
was  passed,  and,  although  exceedingly  weak  and  re- 
duced, I  was  out  of  danger. 

It  would  be  most  ungrateful,  were  I  to  forget  that  I 
received  from  the  family  which  I  have  before  mentioned, 
every  attention  that  kindness  could  dictate  or  my  slate 
admit.  The  gentleman  called  on  me  two  or  three  limes 
a-day,  sent  me  from  his  house  a  comfortable  pillow,  wish- 
ing to  add  a  better  m.altress  ihan  the  one  on  which  [  lay  ; 
and,  moreover,  pressed  me  most  earnestly  to  take  up  my 
invalid  abode  under  his  roof.  There  are  very  few  of  the 
older  and  more  luxurious  cities  where  a  stranger  could 
expect  to  meet  with  similar  kindness. 

Jt  appears  to  me  (from  ihe  limited  opportunities  that 
I  have  enjoyed  for  observing)  that  no  two  bordering  states 
in  the  Union  differ  so  much  in  ihe  character  of  their 
population  as  Ohio  and  Kentucky.  This  difference  is 
partially  occasioned  by  the  following  causes  : — First, 
Kentucky  is  a  slave  state  ;  Ohio  is  noi.  Secondly,  Ohio 
was  chiefly  settled  by  Germans,  New  Englanders,  a  few 
British,  and,  in  short,  an  industrious  agricultural  class; 
while  Kentucky  was  chiefly  settled  by  the  western  Vir- 
ginians, a  wild,  high-spirited,  and  somewhat  rough  tribe 
of  hunters.  Thirdly,  the  soil  of  the  two  slates  tends 
to  the  distinction  between  them,  which  I  have  partly  at- 
tributed to  their  origin. 

Ohio  contains  probably  a  higher  average  of  good  arable 
land,  compared  with  its  whole  extent,  than  any  other 
slate  in  the  Union,  so  that  the  bear,  the  wolf,  and  even 
the  deer,  are  almost  banished  from  their  woods,  and 
agriculture  forms  the  chief  employment  of  the  people  ; 
while  Kentucky,  although  boasting  of  a  fine  soil,  some 
tracts  of  great  ferlililv,  and  a  luxuriant  growth  of  limber, 
has  still  large  portions  of  country  only  trodden  by  the 
foot  of  the  hunter,  and  that  of  the  various  objects  of  his 


152  COWARDLY  PRACTICE. 

pursuit.  These  causes  (probably  combined  with  others 
whicli  I  have  omitted)  have  produced  a  wide  and  marked 
diflference  of  character.  The  Ohians  are  a  quiet,  mdus- 
Irious,  peaceable  people,  carrying  the  "republicanism  of 
democracy"  (as  iheir  German  newspapers  call  it)  to  its 
highest  pitch  ;  but  too  far  removed  from  the  scene  of 
action,  and  not  sufficiently  congregated  in  manufacturing 
or  commercial  masses,  to  give  to  their  political  feelings 
the  bitterness  and  personality  so  prevalent  in  the  East. 
There  is  no  material  difference  in  the  forms  of  govern- 
ment of  the  two  states,  except  that  in  Ohio  the  gover- 
nor and  senators  aie  biennially  chosen,  whereas  in  Ken- 
tucky they  are  elected  for  four  years  ;  in  both,  the  House 
of  Representatives  is  annually  elected  by  what  may  be 
called  universal  suffrage,  i.  e.  every  citizen,  being  iwenty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  resident  in  the  state. 

The  character  of  the  Kentuckians  has  greater  merits 
and  greater  faults  ;  their  moral  features  are  more  broadly 
and  distinctly  marked.  Descended,  as  1  before  said, 
from  tiie  western  hunters,  and  some  of  them  from  the 
more  wealthy  planters  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina, 
they  are  brave,  generous,  proud,  frank,  and  hospitable, 
but  apt  at  the  same  time  to  be  rough,  overbearing,  and 
quarrelsome.  They  are  extremely  vain  of  their  slate, 
and  inclined  to  play  the  braggart,  as  well  in  her  praises 
as  their  own  ;  the  former  fault,  /  for  one,  can  freely  for- 
give them,  as  the  want  of  local  or  home  attachment  is 
one  of  the  least  agreeable  features  of  American  cha- 
racter. They  are,  moreover,  pretty  strongly  imbued  (pro- 
bably through  their  Virginian  dL-scent)  with  a  taste  for 
gambling,  horse-racing,  &;c.,  which  is  perhaps  strength- 
ened by  their  frequent  intercourse,  on  their  northern  and 
western  frontier,  with  the  numerous  gamblers,  or  "  sports- 
men," who  come  up  the  river  in  spring  and  summer  to 
avoid  the  heat  and  malaria  of  New  Orleans  and  the  ad- 
jacent country. 

In  addition  to  the  above  traits  of  character,  there  is 
one  of  which  I  cannot  speak  otherwise  than  with  un- 
qualified reprobation — I  mean  the  cowardly  and  almost 
universal  practice  of  carrying  a  dirk-knife.  This  instru- 
ment, which,  like  the  Italian  stiletto,  is  only  fit  for  the 


"rough  AND   TUMBLE."  153 

hand  of  an  assassin,  is  displayed  upon  every  occasion. 
It  has  ordinarily  a  blade  about  six  or  eight  inches  long, 
sharp  on  boih  sides  toward  the  point,  and  comes  out  of 
the  handle  by  a  spring,  which  also  prevents  its  closing 
on  the  hand  of  ilie  owner.  I  have  seen  several  well- 
dressed  Kentuckians,  who  would  piobably  ihink  them- 
selves injured  if  ihey  were  not  considered  gentlemen  of 
the  first  grade,  picking  their  teeth  wiih  these  elegatit 
pocket  companions,  in  public;  and  I  have  repeatedly 
seen  them,  while  engaged  in  conversation,  employ  their 
hands  in  opening  and  shutting  this  dirk-spring,  as  a  Lon- 
don dandy  on  the  stage  raps  his  boots  and  shakes  his 
watch-seals,  or  someiimes  in  real  life,  for  want  of  ma- 
nual employment,  draws  his  glove  on  and  off,  or  smooths 
down  the  felt  of  bis  hat. 

Now%  I  would  ask  any  candid  Kentuckian,  from  what 
"  chiv' Irons"  precedent  (which  epithet  they  are  very 
fond  of  applying  to  themselves),  or  from  what  principle, 
just,  noble,  or  Christian,  is  this  habit  derivable?  Man 
is  sufficiently  irascible,  and  when  angry,  prone  enough  to 
inflict  injury  on  his  fellow-creature,  without  deliberately 
furnishing  himself  with  a  weapon  calculated  to  occasion 
death,  or  permanent  m.utilatioti,  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
slightest  dispute  or  ebulilion  of  temper.  I  believe  it  is 
Virgil,  who,  in  describing  a  savage  popular  tumult,  says, 
"Furor  arma  ministrat ;"  and  surely  experience  tests  its 
truth  ;  but  this  people  determine,  that  the  voice  of  rea- 
son or  reflection  sliall  not  have  one  moment  to  whisper 
a  suggestion,  but  that  their  passions  (naturally  hot  and 
ungovernable)  shall  never  want  a  sudden  and  deadly 
minister.* 

It  might  be  supposed,  that  the  coarse  and  brutal  me- 
thod of  lighting,  still  frequently  adopted  in  this  state  un- 
der the  name  of  "  rough  and  tumble,",  is  sufficiently  sa- 
vage to  satisfy  the  parties  concerned.  In  this,  as  is 
well  known,  they  tear  one  another's  hair,  bite  off  noses 
and  ears,  gouge  out  eyes,  and,  in  short,  endeavour  to  de- 

*  This  subject  is  well  illustrated  by  the  words  in  which  Macbeth  ex- 
presses his  determination  to  murder  the  wife  and  children  of  MacDufF; 
— "  The  very  firstlings  of  my  heart  shall  be  the  firstlings  of  my  hand  f* 
— ^Act  iv.  8C.  1, 


154 

slroy  or  mutilate  each  other  ;  but  this  is  not  considered 
sufficient,  and  Birmingham  and  Pittsburgh  are  obhged  to 
complete  by  the  dirk-knife  the  equipment  of  ihe  "  chi- 
valric  Kentuckian."  I  am  fully  aware  that  the  stories 
current  respecting  "  gouging"  are  exaggerated,  and  mostly 
invented  ;  and  I  am  also  aware,  that  many  gentlemen, 
especially  among  those  of  advanced  age,  in  Kentucky, 
disapprove  of  these  practices;  but  the  general  argument 
remains  nevertheless  untouched;  the  "  rough  and  tum- 
ble" fight  is  still  permitted  by  the  spectators  ;  and  if  two 
angry  men  have  one  another  by  the  throat,  and  there  is 
no  check  upon  their  fury,  either  in  their  own  feelings  and 
habits,  or  in  public  opinion,  the  result  in  any  country 
would  be  similarly  savage.  They  may  formerly  have 
had  an  excuse  for  constantly  carrying  a  weapon,  when 
their  houses  and  famihes  were  hourly  liable  to  be  sur- 
prised by  the  war-whoop  of  the  Indians  ;  but  against 
whom  is  the  dirk-knife  now  sharpened?  against  brothers, 
cousins,  and  neighbours  ! 

One  feature  that  I  have  always  admired  in  the  English 
character,  and,  indeed,  have  looked  upon  wiih  envij  (as 
iny  own  coimtrymen,  especially  the  Highlanders,  have  it 
not),  is  their  contempt  for  all  lethal  weapons,  and  their 
honest  determined  support  of  fair  play  in  all  personal  ren- 
counters. If  a  combatant  in  England  were  to  practice 
any  "rough  and  tumble"  tricks,  such  as  kneeling  on  a 
man's  throat  or  chest  when  on  the  ground,  or  gouging,  or 
biting,  he  would  receive  a  hearty  drubbing  from  the 
spectators,  and  conclude  the  entertainment  (in  my  opin- 
ion very  deservedly)  in  the  nearest  horse-pond  in  which 
he  could  be  immersed.  I  trust  that  the  progress  of 
civilization,  and  increasing  weight  of  a  sounder  public 
opinion,  will  soon  put  a  stop  to  the  custom  above  cen- 
sured, which  is  not  confined  to  Kentucky,  but  is  more  or 
less  prevalent  in  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi, 
especially  in  Louisiana. 


LEAVE  CINCINNATI. 


155 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Leave  Cincinnati  for  Louisville —Reminiscences.— Louisville.— Re> 
publican  Incongruity.— Swearing  in  the  Western  Stales.— Start  for 
Lexington  —Beautiful  Scenery.— Curious  Sermon.- Arrival  at  Lex- 
ington — MeetiniT  with  Miss  Martineau.— General  Shelby's  Farm. 
—  Situation  of  "Lexington.— Its  pubhc  Institutions.— Sv stem  of 
Education  in  America— Lunatic  Asylum.— Evenmg  Parlies— Mu- 
sical Soiree.— A  Serenade— Mr.  Clay.— Return  to  Louisville.— 
Embark  f.r  Saint  Louis  —Passage  down  the  Ohio.— Robbers'  Cave. 
—The  "  Father  of  Waters." 

On  the  4th  of  June  I  left  Cincinnati  for  Louisville,  on 
board  the  Benjamin  Franklin.     The  Ohio  slill  preserved 
the  dignity  and  majesty  of  its  course  ;  and  I  sat  on  the 
second  and  cooler  deck  of  tlie  steamer,  being  partly  re- 
covered from  my  late  attack,  but  with  my  mind  and  body 
both  somewhat  depressed  by  its  influence.     Jn  this  mu- 
sing melancholy  mood  did  I  look  on  the  mighty  stream 
beneath,  and  the  undulating  banks  on  each  side,  crowned 
with  every  variety  of  hue  and  form  thai  the  forest-trees, 
those  vegetable  giants,  could   assume;  and  memory  led 
me  back  to  those  joyous  and  never-to-be-forgotten  scenes, 
which   the  annual  recurrence   of  this  day  used  to  bring 
with  it,  when  celebrated  by  Eton's  sons  under  old  Wind- 
sor's lowers.     Then,  indeed,  "  all  was  sunshine  in  each 
breist."     The  emulation  of  the  rowers— the  cheers    of 
their  respective  supporters— the  gallant  display  of  ban- 
ners and  steerers'  dresses— the  military  bands— made  the 
time-honoured  fortress  walls  echo  to  the  national  anthem, 
and  many  a  young  heart  beat,  and  many  a  young  cheek 
glowed,  with  a  foretaste  of  the  part  which  they  were  one 
day  destined  to  take  in  Britain's  glories.     Alma  Mater, 
Fiona  !  thy  sons  little  know    how  they  love  thee  until 
many  years  after  they   have  bidden  thee  farewell  :  then 
they  turn  back  to  thee  with  fond  and  grateful  recollec- 
tions,  such   as   now  occupied   my  musings   on  Ohio's 
stream. 


156  REPUBLICAN  INCONGRUITY. 

In  twelve  hours  we  reached  Louisville,  having  then  run 
one  liundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Cmcinnali,  through 
scenery  resembhng,both  in  beauiy  and  cliaractcr,  that,  be- 
fore described  above  the  latter  town  ;  for  Indiana,  which 
lies  on  the  north-western  bank  of  tlie  Ohio,  at  this  pari  of 
its  course,  is  vying  with  its  neighbours  in  improvement ; 
and  nature  has  given  it  extensive  tracts  of  fine  soil,  which 
tJie  tide  of  immigration  is  rapidly  reducing  to  cultiva- 
tion. 

Louisville  is  a  very  active  busy  town,  containing  about 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  In  the  spring,  and  early 
part  of  summer,  it  is  crowded  by  fugitives  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  New  Orleans,  on  their  way  to  their  va- 
rious places  of  refuge  from  heat  and  disease.  The  ho- 
tel is  a  spacious  building,  and  might  be  called  handsome, 
had  it  not  been  finished  in  so  slovenly  a  manner,  that, 
although  I  saw  it  only  a  year  after  it  was  opened,  the 
plasier  was  soiled,  and  in  some  places  broken  up;  and 
the  house  itself  looked  as  if  it  had  been  built  more  years 
than  It  had  seen  months.  In  front,  there  is  a  large  por- 
tico, supported  by  ten  columns,  behind  which  are  the 
lounging-rooms  for  the  guests  ;  and  in  summer,  the  siiade 
of  the  portico  renders  it  both  a  templing  and  agreeable  re- 
sort. The  proprietors  were  very  attentive  ;  and  one  of 
them,  agood-looking  gentlemanly  man,  about  thirty  years 
old,  was  so  much  more  smartly  and  gayly  dressed  than 
any  of  the  company  (myself  included),  that  I  thought 
he  must  be  a  Frenchman  from  New  Orleans,  and  thus 
inquired  his  name  and  occupation. 

No  one  who  has  visited  only  the  Atlantic  cities  can  be- 
lieve in  the  social  republicanism  of  America.  I  think  I 
have  before  noted  in  this  journal,  that  it  does  not  exist 
there  :  distinctions  of  wealth  and  family,  and  those,  too, 
well  defined  and  strongly  marked,  have  already  appeared, 
accompanied  by  a  criterion  apparently  trifling,  but,  in 
my  opinion,  bearing  strong  evidence,  namely,  "coals  of 
of  arms,"  and  other  heraldic  anti-republican  signs,  which 
are  daily  gaining  ground.  At  present,  the  West  presents 
a  much  truer  })icture  of  republicanism,  because  the 
equality  existing  elsewhere  in  theory,  exists  here  in  fart  : 
nor  did  I  see  one  individual  (for  instance)  in  Louisville 


EEPUBLICAN  INCONGRUITY-.  157 

having  more  the  appearance  of  a  gentleman  than  the 
holel-keeper  before  menlioned.  In  this  respect,  he  doubt- 
less lias  great  advantages  over  those  who  follow  a  similar 
avocation  in  Brilain. 

Bui  mark  here  the  incongrQity  of  habit  and  prejudice. 
The  Louisville  tavern-keeper,  who  is  called,  and  is,  as 
mucli  of  a  genileman  as  any  of  his  guests,  wails  upon 
ihem  at  the  bar,  ih  mixing  various  beverages,  and  al  din- 
ner wlien  he  carves  standmg,  and  fiequenlly  hands  a 
plate,  or  performs  some  smiilar  triflina  service;  while 
the  American  ^'operative'^  \Ad,  will  not  accept  any  place 
as  a  personal  attendant — would  feel  himself  degraded  by 
brushing  a  coat,  or  washing  a  tea-cup,  or  tea-spoon, 
or  acting  in  what  he  would  term  a  "  menial"  capacity. 
On  the  other  hand,  John  Bull,  in  the  lower  class,  seeks 
with  avidity  the  comforis  of  "domestic"  life,  in  the  suc- 
cessive grades  of  stable-boy,  groom,  and  coachman,  or 
house-boy,  footman,  ai  d  butler ;  while  the  aristocratic 
hotel-iieeper  in  London,  or  one  who  wishes  to  move  in 
second-rate  society,  does  not  permit  the  association  of  his 
name  wiih  trie  hotel,  would  as  S'  on  walk  over  hot  iron 
as  attend  the  public  table,  or  mix  brandy-toddy,  and  is 
only  known  as  a  re>:pectable  gentleman  driving  his  gig 
to  and  from  his  Hampstead  villa,  or  as  a  smart  and  con- 
stant aiiendantat  'I'aitersall's,  or  enjoying  his  great  incog, 
at  some  fashionable  watering-place.  There  are  many 
«xcej_ lions  lo  this  latter  remark  (and  I  think  these  hotels 
the  most  agreeable,  either  in  town  or  country,  where  the 
master  of  the  house  superintends  in  person);  but  there 
are  cases  enough  to  mark  the  contrast  of  character  in 
reference  to  which  [  made  the  observation  :  for  instance, 
how  many  of  the  ladies  who  have  lived  weeks  and  months 
at  the  Clarenden  Hotel  in  London  have  seen  the  owner  ^ 
how  many  know  his  name  ?  and  how  many  are  aware 
that  he  is  proprietor  of  several  other  establishments,  the 
guests  in  which  know  as  much  of  him  as  themselves  1 
Few  could  answer  affirmatively. 

J  went  out  to  the  race-course,  as  the  spring  race-meet- 
ing was  going  on,  and  saw  one  or  two  heats  run  in  very- 
good  time.  There  was  but  a  small  attendance,  either 
of  beauty  or  fashion,  and  I  did  not  stay  long  enough  to 

Vol.  L— O 


153  BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY. 

avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  which  such  a  scene  of- 
fers, for  making  observations  on  the  more  ron^h  and  un- 
polished portion  of  society  ;  indeed,  the  swearing  of  some 
of  ihe  lower  orders  in  the  West,  especially  among  the 
horse-tradeis  and  gamblers,  would  shock  ears  accustom- 
ed lo  the  language  of  Billingsgate  or  a  London  gin-shop, 
so  full  is  it  of  blasphemy  ;  and  uttered  in  a  deliberate 
and  determinate  tone,  such  as  to  induce  the  belief  that 
the  speaker  really  wishes  tlie  fulfilment  of  the  curses 
which  he  imprecates.  I  have  heard  the  vulgar  oaths  of 
many  countries,  as  the  French,  the  Enolish,  the  Irish, 
and  Scotch,  (which  three  last  have  different  safety-valves 
of  wrath),  the  Dutch,  the  German,  the  llalian,  and  the 
Portuguese  :  of  course,  they  are  all  vulgar,  all  more  or 
less  blasphemous  and  disgusting  to  the  ear  ;  but  I  never 
heard  them  so  offensive,  or  so  slowly  and  deliberately 
uttered,  as  in  the  mouths  of  the  western  and  south- 
western Americans.  It  is  but  justice  to  the  United 
States  to  say,  that  this  is  a  vice  not  generally  prevalent, 
and  is  held  much  in  the  same  estimation  there  as  it  is  in 
Britain. 

]jouisville  is  an  active  and  thriving  town  ;  but,  like  all 
the  others  in  the  West,  wretchedly  lighted  and  paved  at 
present.  It  is  necessary  to  mark  these  two  words,  as  in 
this  most  wonderful  portion  of  this  wonderful  continent, 
observations  of  a  condemnatory  nature  are  not  likely  to 
be  true  for  more  than  twelve  months.  After  remaining 
there  a  day,  duririg  which  1  was  still  labouring  to  throw 
off  the  yoke  of  my  cholera  oppressor,  I  staited  for  J^ex- 
ington,  in  Kentucky,  to  see  a  portion  of  that  fine  state,  and 
to  pay  a  visit  lo  its  brightest  ornament,  Mr.  Clay,  to 
whose  eloquence  and  statesman-like  qualities  I  have  in 
a  former  chapter  referred. 

The  scenery  between  Louisville  and  Lexington  is  un- 
dulating, rich,  and  varied,  and  I  could  not  have  seen  it  at 
a  more  favourable  season  than  this,  when  the  thick- 
pressed  ranks  of  rye  were  waving  in  every  direction,  the 
young  corn  was  just  sprouting,  and  the  clover  in  full  and 
luxurious  bloom  ;  the  woods,  also,  were  adorned  by  a 
variety  of  trees  which  I  had  not  before  noticed,  as   the 


BEAUTIFUL     SCENEaY.  1^^ 


coffee-tree*  and  others,  too  numerous  to  mention.     One 
thino^ alone  was  vvanlin^  to  mv  enjoy nrient  of  the  scene, 
that°one  was  healih  !   without  which  a  terrestrial  paradise 
would  be  a  desert.      I  had  not  been  able  to  shake  off  my 
pertinacious  choleric  enemy,  and  suffered  much  from  his 
repeated  attacks  ;  however,  despite  the  effects  thereby 
induced  upon   my  spirits,  when  the  bright  moon  arose, 
and  tipt  with  silver  thehght  and  graceful  twigs  of  black- 
w^alnut  and  locust-trees,  and  ihe  taint  breeze  waved  their 
tresses   in   relief  against   the  dark   masses  of  oak,    and 
other  impenetrable  shades  which  resisted  her  beams,  it 
was  impossible  not  to  feel,  admire,  and  even  enjoy    the 
peaceful  beauty  o(  the  scene.     At  least,  I  was  "o^  Pf^ss- 
ed  in  regaid  to  time,  for  the  staoe  being  full,  I  had  hired 
a.  sor.y  horse  and  ffig,  from  which  I  was  fain  to  content 
myself  with  extracting  four  miles  an  hour;  and  that,  too, 
with  considerable  expenditure  of  exertion  and  whipcord. 
On  the  following  morning,  which  was  Sunday,  1  found 
myself  rather  better,  but  still  weak  and  in  pain  from  the 
evils  which  follow  in  the  train  of  cholera;  1  went,  how- 
ever, to  the  Presbyterian  church  (Frankfurt),   where  I 
heard  a  curious  sermon,  contending,  from  the  analogy 
of  nature  to  numerous  texts  in  Scripture,  that  there  is 
bnt  one  way  in    which  man  can  be  saved,  and  bu^t  one 
right  and  saving  faith  among  the  various  sects  of  Chris- 
tianity.    The  argument  was  sometimes  well  supported  ; 
bu*  the   discourse  appeared  to  me  to  fall  into  an  error 
very  common  to  such  subjects,  namely,  to  prove  too  much. 
r  arrived  on  Monday  evening  at  Lexington,  much  im- 
proved in  health.     This  is  a  neat  pleasant  town,  contain- 
incr    a   considerable    number   of  locust-trees,    and  small 
gadens,    which  give    it   a    cheerful    appearance,  while 
thev  afford  the  occasional  luxury  of  shade. 

Mr.  Clay's  residence  is  about  a  mile  from  the  town, 
situated  in  a  pretty  woodland  scene,  somewhat  resem- 
bling an  Encriish  park.  His  son-in-law,  Mr.  E— , 
lives  about  half  a  mile  nearer  to  the  town,  on  a  plea- 
sant farm  called  Woodlands.     At  the  house  of  this  gen- 

*More  commonly  known  as  the  Bonduc.  In  Botany,  Guilandina 
dioica. 


160  ARRIVAL    AT    LEXINGTOW. 

tlemen,  T  was  agreeably  surprised  at  meeting  Miss  Mar- 
tineau,  who  had  been  tliere  on  a  visit  during  the  las!, 
fortnight.  This  lady's  writings  are  too  well  known  to 
require  any  comment  upon  them  here.  1  differ  from 
many  of  her  opini(  ns,  but  nobody  can  deny  her  pos- 
session of  great  talent,  or  refuse  her  the  merit  of  writing 
in  a  clear,  consise,  and  elegant  style  :  moreover,  her 
conversation  is  agreeable,  lively,  and  varied  ;  displaying 
a  mind  both  strong  and  original,  a  judgnnent  very  deci- 
sive, though  not  without  prejudice,  and  a  quickness  of 
observation  and  comparison,  that  render  her  an  cnter- 
laming  as  well  as  an  instruciive  talker. 

In  company  with  this  pleasant  party  I  went  to  see  a 
farm,  about  nine  miles  from  Lexinfjion,  beionffinor  to 
General  Shelby,  "  liis  gentleman  has  the  name  of  being 
one  of  the  best  cattle-breeding  farmers  in  Kentucky  ;. 
and  he  certauily  did  show  us  a  large  and  most  excellent 
stock  both  of  cattle  and  mules.  The  former  are  mosily 
crossed,  more  or  less  nearly,  from  the  Durham  breed  ;  one 
lot,  of  three  years  old,  was  in  prime  order,  and  would 
have  extracted  a  nod  of  app  obation  from  a  Lincolnshire 
grazier.  They  were  probably  worth  heie  about  seventy 
dollars,  or  fourteen  pounds  a-head.  iMr.  Shelby  told  me 
thai  last  year  he  sold  a  lot  of  fifty,  averagmg  twelve 
hundred  weight  each  !  The  mules  are  becoming  the 
most  lucrative  farm  stock  in  this  stale  ;  they  are  found 
to  be  so  much  more  serviceable  and  tough  than  horses^ 
especially  on  plantations  worked  by  slaves,  where  they 
aie  apt  to  be  ill-fed  and  ill-atiended  to  ;  a  good  mule  sells 
here  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollriis,  which  is  a  very  high 
price    for  a  horse.     As   an    illustration,   I    will  merely 

mention  one  instance,  given  to  me  by  Mr.  E .     He 

bought  a  fine  female  ass,  two  years  ago  (in  foal),  for  one 
hundred  dollais;  she  produced  a  fine  male,  which  he 
sold  for  four  hundred  dollars;  she  produced  a  foal  again 
this  spring,  for  which  be  ha&  refused  three  hundred  dol- 
lars ;  and  he  sold  the  dam  herself  lately  for  six  hundred 
dollars;  so,  from  this  instance  there  was  a  clear  gain  of 
twelve  hundred  dollars  from  one  ass  in  two  years  !  Mr. 
Shelby  has  a  great  number  of  mules  ;  he  sold  last  year 
3000  dollars'  worth  of  them.     His  pastures  are  on  a  fine 


LEXINGTON.  161 

virgin  soil,  well  shaded  by  noble  forest  tinnber,  with  here 
and  there  an  open  glade  (something  like  an  English 
park).  It  is  scarcely  creditable,  but  undoubtedly  true, 
as  i  have  it  from  the  lips  of  these  gentlemen  in  company, 
that  this  beautiful  farm  of  two  thousand  acres,  logether 
with  another  in  the  neighbourhood  (of  eighteen  liundred 

acres),  was  bought  by  Mr.  S 's  father  for  an  old  rifle  ! 

—  at  least,  for  a  rifle,  whether  old  or  new  I  know  not  1 
The  property  is  now  worth  at  least  sixty  dollars  an  acre 
(besides  the  houses,  &c.),  which,  according  to  Cocker, 
would  give  a  sum  of  45,000/.  sterling,  as  the  value  of 
an  estate  sold  only  fifty  years  since  for  a  rifle  !  It  makes 
one  angry  to  see  or  hear  of  such  luck  happening  to  a 

fellow-worm  ;  and  when   I   looked  at  General  S ,   I 

almost  felt  that  I  had  as  good  a  right  la  the  farm  as  he 
had. 

Lexington  stands  in  a  large,  elevated,  and  fertile  plairr. 
There  is  scarcely  a  hill  to  be  seen  in  the  neighbourliood ; 
but  an  endless  succession  of  foliage,  and  corn  of  every 
description.  On  this  account  it  is  called  the  garden  of 
Kenlucky,  and  its  inhabitants  make  verv  heavy  demands 
upon  the  admiration  of  the  visiter.  For  myself,  I  never 
could  enjoy  or  appreciate  the  beauty  of  a  complete  level 
in  any  part  of  tiie  world,  and,  however  diversified  by- 
gardens,  villas,  woods,  and  crops,  mv  eye  always  looks 
for  water  and  for  hills,  without  which  no  scenery  can 
have  any  charm  for  me.  This  may  be  very  wrong,  biit 
I  cannot  help  it ;  neither  can  I  participate  in  the  raptures 
whicli  some  express  when  ihey  get  upon  the  top  of  a 
church,  and  boast  of  being  able  to  see  on  every  side  a 
boundless  plain,  terminating  only  in  the  horizon. 

There  are  several  excellent  institutions  in  Lexington  : 
a  theological  seminary,  one  of  the  professors  of  which 
is  a  young  English  clergyman  (minister,  also,  of  the 
episcopal  church  here) ;  he  seems  a  very  interesting 
young  man  ;  his  branch  of  instruction  is  chiefly  in  the 
Eastern  languages  ;  and  he  assured  me  that  he  had  seve- 
ral students  familiar  with  the  Hebrew,  Syriac,  and  Chai- 
dee.  He  says,  that  the  capacity  of  the  young  men  in 
this  part  of  the  world  is  very  good,  and  that  there  are 
fewer  book-dances  than  he  remembers  at  schools  in  the 

0* 


162  ITS    TKSTITUTIONS. 

old  country;  but  the  generality  of  them  are  very  badly 
grounded  in  the  classics.  The  process  of  menial  cuhi- 
valion  in  America  is  somewhat  analogous  to  their  agri- 
cultural system  ;  in  both  rases  they  look  too  extensively 
to  the  quantity  of  produce  immediitely  to  be  obtained, 
and  pay  too  little  attention  to  the  cullure  and  improve- 
ment of  the  soil.  It  has  been  often  remarked,  that  an 
American  course  of  collegiate  education,  extends  over  a 
field  that  would  occupy  a  man  of  good  abiliiies  forty 
years  to  master;  but  a  student  is  supposed  to  have  tra- 
velled over  it  in  three  or  four  years  :  and  he  may  have 
travelled  over  it;  but  it  is  with  tlie  same  advantage  as 
some  of  our  fashionable  London  loungers  travel  over 
Switzerland  and  Italy,  as  fast  as  well-paid  postilions 
and  a  light  britchka  can  take  them — they  have  seen 
Mount  Blanc,  and  been  over  the  hjimplon  ;  they  have 
visited  St.  Peter's  and  the  Coliseum  ;  have  sat  in  a  gon- 
dola and  seen  the  Bridge  of  Sighs  ;  have  eaten  ice  and 
macaroni  in  view  of  the  Bay  of  Naples  ;  and  have  yawn- 
ed admiration  before  the  Apollo,  the  Venus,  and  the  Car- 
toons !.     Then  they  return — travellers  ! 

With  equal  advantage  is  a  youth  educated  on  the  en- 
eyclopoedia  system,  so  pernicious  to  industry  or  to  ster- 
ling knowledge  and  acquirement.  The  young  men  who 
acquire  a  tasi.e  for  reading  is  singularly  small  in  Ameri- 
ca. They  will  tell  a  stranger  who  makes  this  observation, 
that  they  are  too  busy,  that  they  are  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile and  other  affairs.  This,  in  fact  (though  a  plausible 
one,)  is  only  an  excuse  ;  they  have  time  enough  to  give 
to  the  theatre,  the  dance,  the  race-course,  the  iroiting- 
match,  the  billiard-table,  the  tavern-bar.  &c.,  but  to  find 
a  young  man,  having  left  college  five  years,  who  could 
read  Pindar  and  Euripides,  or  even  Horace  and  Juvenal, 
for  pleasure,  would  be  no  easy  task — at  least  among  those 
whom  I  have  seen  at  New  York  and  the  other  cities  in 
the  United  States. 

To  return  from  this  digression  to  Lexington.  There 
is  a  college  here  also,  which  does  not  seem  to  be  in  a 
very  flourishing  state;  but  a  professor  is  expected  soon 
from  New  England,  who  is  to  establish  its  reputation 
for  literature  and  discipline.     There    is  also  an  orphan 


LUNATIC    ASYLUM.  16,^ 

asylum,  and  one  for  lunatics  ;  which  latter,  like  all  simi- 
lar insiitutions  in  America,  is  conducted  wiih  regularity 
and  cleanliness,  as  well  as  with  a  praiseworthy  atientiou 
to  all  the  comforts  of  which  tlie  unfortunate  inmates  are 
capable.  In  one  respect  it  differs  from  any  that  I  have 
visited  elsewhere,  that  1  was  admitted  to  see  the  female 
part  of  the  estabhshment.  I  did  not  stay  there  long,  for 
I  cannot  bear  to  see  that  lovely  temple  in  ruins.  Some 
cases,  indeed,  of  monomania  and  aberration  of  mind  I 
could  contemplate  with  curiosity  and  interest;  but  wo- 
man in  the  lowest  state  of  mental  or  moral  degradation^ 
is  a  spectacle  not  to  be  looked  upon  without  painful  com- 
miseration. 

Among  the  men  was  a  presbyterian  clergyman,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland.  He  was  still  so  wedded  to  his  profes 
sional  dignity,  that  he  would  not  put  on  a  shirt  unless  it 
was  marked  "  the  reverend."  His  only  companion  was 
an  old  copy  of  Virgil.  He  said,  he  only  read  the  first 
six  books  of  the  ^neid.  I  asked  him  to  read  me  twenty 
lines  ;  and,  under  pretence  of  not  understanding  them^ 
prevailed  upon  him  to  construe  them,  which  he  did  with 
great  fluency,  without  hesitation  or  mistake. 

1  went  to  two  evening  panics  ;  and  although  a  person 
disposed  loquiz  might  have  found  exercise  for  his  child- 
ish satire,  1  saw  nothing  that  would  not  meet  a  parallel 
in  the  society  of  the  larger  provincial  towns  in  Britain,. 
and  I  do  not  therefore  feel  inclined  to  lake  upon  myself 
the  invidious  office. 

At   the  table  of  Mr.  Clay  I  met  a  young  gentleman. 

from  Germany,  of  the  name  of  V ,  on  his  travels, 

and  heard  witli  much  pleasure,  that  he  proposed  going  to 
St.  Louis,  which  was  also  my  own  destination.  I  went 
with  him  to  a  musical  soiree,  at  the  house  of  a  German,, 
who  had  been  many  years  in  this  country,  and  was  com- 
mander-in-chief of  all  the  musical  department  in  Lexing- 
ton, from  the  church-organ  down  to  the  boarding-school 
"  solfetjgio."^  He  was  extremely  polite  ;  and  the  evening 
passed  off  rather  formally,  but  tolerably  well.  When 
the  ladies  retired,  I  also  was  about  to  leave  the  house, 

as  was  Mr.    V ;  but  he    pressed  us   to  remain   and 

take  o?2e  stirrup-cup  in  the  old  German  fashion,  of  punck 


164  A    SERENADE. 

made  from  the  true  Rhenish.  We  did  so.  We  began 
to  sing  German  songs.  Each  glass  of  punch  was  suc- 
ceeded by  some  toast  or  chorus  Iroin  ihe  same  country, 
and  at  length  the  slumberi/ig  national  ardour  of  our  host 
was  aroused  ;  ihe  smuotli,  qiuet  manner  of  the  Ameri- 
can music-master  was  laid  aside,  as,  with  clenched  liand 
and  glowing  cheek,  he  gave  us  some  of  the  spirit-stirring 
lays  of  Schiller  and  of  ihe  heroic  Korner. 

0  ye  temperance  societies  !  how  many  gallons  of  your 
inanimate  slops  might  be  consumed  before  ye  could  in- 
spire the  enthusiasm,  or  invoke  the  recollections  which 
our  Rhenish  bowl  awakened,  as  its  noble  juice  brought 
the  lono  estranged  son  of  Germany  back  to  the  Rhuie, 
and  iis  thousand  legends  of  love,  romance,  and  glory  ! 

We  separated   about  two  in   the  morning,  and  on  our 

way  homeward,  V and  J  (agreeably   to  a  litile  pre- 

engnged  plan  of  his  with  some  of  the  inmates)  betook 
ourselves  to  a  large  boardmg-house,  surrounded  by  a 
thick  grove  of  trees,  wherein  dwelt  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  young  ladies,  whom  we  had  met  at  the  preceding 
parties,  and  whom  we  now  proposed  to  serenade.  Inde- 
pendently of  a  good  natural  voice,  V was  an   adept 

in  the  Tyrolese  slyle  of  singing,  or  ugling,  which  I  was 
sure  that  the  fair  KentucKians  would  hear  with  surprise 
and  pleasure.  Accordingly  we  placed  ourselves  under 
the  windows,  and  commenced  our  ijleep-uiurdering  at- 
tack by  several  German,  '['yrolese,  and  Scotch  songs; 
we  could  distinctly  perceive  various  pairs  of  eyes  peer- 
ing through  the  Venetian  blinds,  and  went  away  suie  of 
having  awakened  them,  and  trusting  not  to  have  incurred 
their  displeasure.  We  left  Lexington  early  next  morn- 
ing ;  but  before  our  departure  we  heard  that  they  were 
by  no  means  wrath  at  our  infraction  of  their  rest ;  they 
were  much  pleased  with  the  Tyroles^e  us^lim},  but  would 
not  believe  that  it  was  produced  by  the  human  voice 
unassisted  by  an  instrument. 

1  was  very  sorry  to  leave  Mr.  Clay  and  the  interesting 
society  which  I  met  in  his  son-in-law's  bouse.  Mr. 
Clay  himself  is  very  frank  ;md  agreeable  in  conversation, 
especially  in  regard  to  politics  ;  he  is  singularly  mild  and 
candid  in  talking  over  the  persons  and  opinions  of  vari- 


PROSPERITY    OF    LOUISVILLE.  165 

ous  parties  in  the  United  States,  most  opposed  to  himself ; 
but  the  place  to  see  him  in  his  glory  is  certainly  the 
senaie — there  he  is  powerful  and  commanding  in  his 
eloquence  :  he  has  not  cultivated  those  branches  of  po- 
lite iiieraiure  for  which  Mr.  Webster  and  several  other 
senators  are  remarkable  in  private  life. 

We  returned  to  Louisville,  and  took  the  first  steam- 
boat bound  for  St.  Louis,  which  is  about  six  hundred 
miles  north-west  by  water  :  when  we  embarked,  there 
were  about  sixteen  steam-boats,  all  of  a  large  class,  lying 
at  the  wharves  ;  indeed,  this  town  is  scarcely  inferior  to 
Cincinnati  in  the  wonderful  rapidity  of  its  improverrjents. 
I  had  a  long  conversation  with  an  elderly  gentleman, 
who  owns  a  considerable  number  of  houses  and  lots  of 
land,  which  he  sells  off  for  the  erection  of  buildings  : 
according  to  his  account,  almost  all  the  money  which  he 
had  thus  invested  leiurned  him  about  twenty  per  cent.  ; 
the  Louisville  Savings'  Hank  gives  eicrhl  per  cent,  on 
deposits  ;  and  he  assured  me  that  any  capitalist  of  good 
judgment  might  mvesl  money  upon  excellent  security  at 
twelve  or  fourteen  per  cent.  This  may  be  perfectly  true 
at  the  present  date,  but  it  by  no  means  follows  that  such 
a  stale  of  things  should  be  durable. 

The  passage  down  the  Ohio  from  this  town  to  the 
Mississippi  is,  if  possible,  more  beautiful  than  above; 
the  bluffs  are  bolder,  the  banks  higher,  and  the  stream 
is  more  enlarged  and  magnificeni,  extending  to  a  breadth 
of  a  mile  and  a  half.  We  lav  to,  under  a  high  project- 
ing rock,  to  visit  a  cave,  celebrated  as  having  been  the 
refuge  of  a  desperate  band  of  robbers  who  infested  this 
part  of  the  country  some  years  ago,  led  by  a  man  named 
Mason,  for  whose  head  the  legislature  of  Illinois  (or  one 
of  the  neighbouring  stales)  offered  a  reward  of  1000  dol- 
lars. He  was  betrayed  and  shot  by  two  of  his  asso- 
ciates. The  cavern  is  about  forty  feet  deep,  twenty-five 
wide,  and  fifteen  high  ;  but  the  most  extraordinary  part 
of  it  is  a  natural  aperture  in  the  centre  of  the  roof,  large 
enough  to  admit  one  man  at  a  time,  and  opening  upon 
another  chamber  of  similar  dimensions  to  the  one  below. 
The  current  report  of  the  country  is,  that  when  this  den 
of  thieves  was  discovered  and   broken  up,  it  contained 


166  THE 

great  quanlities  of  gold,  silver,  silks,  sluffs,  and  false 
money,  with  an  apparatus    for  coining  it. 

It  was  midnight  when  we  joined  the  "  Father  of  Wa- 
ters," so  [  rose  with  the  eailiest  dawn  to  pay  him  my 
homage.  I  cannot  deny  that  my  first  feeling  was  disap- 
pointment; he  is  not  much  broader  than  the  lower  part 
of  the  uhio,  while  his  siream  is  exiremely  muddy,  and. 
his  banks  low  and  tame;  it  is  only  when  you  ascend 
the  mighty  current  for  fifty  or  a  ijundred  miles,  and  use 
the  eye  of  the  imagination  as  well  as  that  of  nature,  that 
you  begin  to  understand  all  his  might  and  majesty.  You 
see  him  fertilizing  a  boundless  valley,  bearing  along  in 
his  course  the  trophies  of  his  thousand  victories  over  the 
shattered  forest — here  cairying  away  large  masses  of  soil 
with  all  their  growth,  and  there  formin^r  islands,  destin- 
ed, at  some  fuiure  period,  to  be  the  residence  of  man; 
as  you  approach  Saint  Louis,  these  islands  become  more 
frequent — the  banks  more  lofty  and  picturesque  ;  and 
while  indulging  in  this  prospect,  it  is  then  time  for  reflec- 
tion to  suggest  that  the  current  before  you  has  flowed 
through  two  or  three  thousand  miles,  and  has  yet  to  travel 
one  thousand  three  hundred  more  before  reaching  its 
ocean  destination. 

A  strancrer,  however,  cannot  endure  the  dirty  and  mud- 
dy appearance  of  the  water,  althouah  he  is  told  (and  with 
truth  that,  when  placed  in  a  barrel  or  any  other  vessel, 
and  allowed  to  settle,  it  purifies  very  rapidly,  and  becomes 
excellent  drinking  water,  leaving  a  sediment  of  extreme 
depth  and  density. 

All  travellers  in  this  part  of  the  world  have  agreed, 
that  the  Missouri  has  been  ill-used  in  having  its  name 
merged,  after  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi;  whereas 
it  is  the  broader,  the  deeper,  the  longer,  and,  in  every 
respect,  the  finer  river  of  the  two:  the  cause  of  this 
apparent  incongruity  was  explained  to  me  in  a  manner 
equally  simple  and  satisfactory.  When  the  French  first 
visited  this  great  valley,  they  came  from  Canada,  and 
descended  the  Mississippi ;  and  seeing  anotlier  river  fall 
into  it  at  right-angles,  near  Saint  Louis,  they  naturally 
viewed  it  as  tributary  to  the  mighty  stream  whose  course 
they  followed,  and  whose  name  they  preserved ;  forge't- 


ST.   LOUIS.  167 

ting  that,  in  the  natural,  as  well  as  in  the  poliiiral  world, 
the  tributary  may  often  possess  more  power  than  he  to 
whom  he  is  supposed  to  owe  feahy. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Situation  of  St.  Louis. — The  Catholic  new  Church. — General  Clarke.— 
Embark  for  Fort Jieavenworth. — Requisites  f(ir  a  Tour  on  the  Prai- 
rie.— The  Missouri — Rapidity  of  its  Sream. — Islands — Fatal  Case 
of  Cholera. — Chargefal  Climate. —  Floating  Obstructions. — Settle- 
ments on  the  Missouri. — Scarcity  of  Game. — Gigantic  Trees. — Fer- 
tility of  the  Soil — Precarious  Navigation  — .Magnificent  Thunder- 
storm.— State  of  Health  on  board  the  Steam-boat. — Tedious  Prot/ress. 
Mouth  of  Osage  River — Indian  Painting. — Town  of  Booneville. — 
Price  of  Provisions. — Narrow  Escape. — Village  of  Liberty.— Outfit 
for  the  Prairie. — .A  small  Prairie. — Swampy  Wood.—  Reception  at 
Fort  Leavenworth— Prospect  from  the  Heights  in  its  Neighbourhood. 
— Indian  Tribes  — Commemoration  of  the  4th  of  July. — Pawnee 
Visiters. — Indian  Chorus  — Picturesque  Scene. — Arrangements  to 
accompany  the  Pawnees  to  their  Nation. 

The  silualion  of  St.  Louis  is  admirably  adapted  for  a 
great  inland  commercial  city,  as  it  is  built  upon  a  gradual 
slope  rising  from  the  river.  Behind  it  are  hioh  and  airy 
plains,  which  admit  of  its  being  extended  advantageously 
in  any  direction.  It  is  already  the  emporium  of  trade  be- 
yond the  Mississippi,  and  the  nucleus  of  al!  the  traffic 
with  the  Indians  ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  resources  of  the 
vast  western  region  are  developed,  JSt.  Louis  will  proba- 
bly increase  in  wealth  and  population.  Tlie  streets  are 
narrow,  ill-paved,  and  ill-lighted  :  and  there  are  but  few 
buildings  claiming  the  traveller's  attention,  either  by  their 
magnitude  or  beauty. 

I  was  told  that  the  Catholic  new  church  deserved  all 
admiration  ;  but  I  could  by  no  means  afford  it  mine,  as 
it  is  a  very  large  building,  with  a  sort  of  Grecian  portico, 
surmounted  by  a  kind  of  steeple,  much  too  diminuiive 
in  its  proportions,  and  surrounded  by  sundry  ornametits, 
which  I  sliould  have  been  quite  unable  to  describe,  had 
not  my  Gernian  companion  called  out  upon  seeing  ihem, 
"  UiOlt  bewahr,  sie  sehen  gerade  wie  bettpfeiler  aus." 
♦'  By !  they  look  exactly  like  bedposts  !"     I  did  not, 


168  GENERAL    CLARKE. 

on  this  occasion,  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  llie  inte«» 
rior  of  the  building. 

I  wished  to  stay  a  short  lime  at  Sf.  Lonis,  being  de- 
sirous to  see  its  society,  and  having  just  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  veteran  General  Clarke,  whose  tra- 
vels tu  the  Rocky  Mountauis  are  well  known  to  all 
general  readers,  and  who  had  probably  gained  more 
laureis  than  any  naan  living  in  contests  with  the  buffalo, 
the  grisly  bear,  and  the  wild  Indian.  He  was,  during 
my  visit  to  St.  Louis,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
for  the  United  States,  and  was  held  in  high  respect  and 
estimation  by  the  various  tribes  composnig  that  hetero- 
geneous race.*  Mv  plans  were,  however,  frustrated; 
for,  hearing  that  a  sieamer  was  to  start  in  a  few  hours 
for  ihe  Upper  Missouri,  and  tliat  I  might  not  get  another 
similar  opporiunily,  I  thought  it  advisable  to  seize  it,  and 
accordingly  embarked  on  board  the  steam-boat  Han- 
cock, bound  for  Fort  Leavenworth. 

I  employed  the  few  hours  which  intervened  in  provid- 
ing myself  with  some  of  the  most  obvious  requisites 
for  a  lour  on  the  prairie  ;  such  as  saddles,  lilankets,  &c., 
and  a  few  trifling  presents  for  the  Indians  whom  I  migh 
wish  to  propiiiale.  Taking  wiih  me  as  little  luggage  as 
possible  in  saddle-bags,  I  set  forth  upon  a  tour  of  which 
it  was  impossible  for  me  to  fix  the  locality  or  extent  ; 
but  having  for  its  object  the  iiianners  and  habits  of  the 
extreme  West,  and  of  the  tribes  beyond  the  American 
settlements. 

It  was  with  extreme  regret,  tliat  I  learned  we  must 
pai^s  the  confluence  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  in 
the  night,  as  I  wished  to  observe  the  different  colours  of 
their  respective  streams,  which  are  as  remarkably  dis- 
tinct as  those  of  the  Rhine  and  its  tributary  Moselle. 
At  daybreak  we  were  already  in  the  Missouri,  which 
appeared  almost  as  large,  as  muddy,  and  as  rapid  as  the 
river  below  St.  Louis.     The  banks  are  well-wooded  and 


*  The  veteran  has  Jeparted  this  life  since  the  above  remarks  were 
written.  By  most  of  the  tribes  on  the  Missouri  he  was  called  their 
*'  Father,"  or  "  Sandy-haired  Father  ;"  as  the  President  of  the  United 
States  is,  in  all  their  talks  or  treaties,  styled  their  "Great,  or  Grand, 
Father."     1839. 


THE    MISSOURI.  169 

undulating  ;  and  in  this  respect  I  was  agreeably  disap- 
pointed, as  I  liad  been  led  to  believe  that  we  were  to  pass 
merely  through  a  flat  prairie  country.  The  most  re- 
markable feature  in  this  mighiy  stream  is  its  rapidity,* 
and  the  huge  masses  of  timber  thus  hurried  on  to  the 
ocean.  Large  trees  are  seen  in  every  direction,  and  in 
every  stale,  from  the  dangerous  "snag,"  with  his  head 
justripphng  liie  water  which  hides  him,  to  the  monarch 
of  the  forest,  with  all  his  '^  blushing  honours  thick  upon 
him."  Here  and  there  vast  masses  of  wood  are  collect- 
ed, bearing  almost  the  appearartce  of  timber  seasoning 
in  harbour;  and  in  other  places  they  are  already  so 
consolidated  with  settled  mud,  that  the  elements  of  vege- 
tation begin  to  appear;  and  the  prophetic  observer  sees 
before  him  an  island  destined  one  day  to  be,  perliaps, 
both  populous  and  fertile. 

Tfiere  is  nothing  that  conveys  a  better  idea  of  the 
magnitude  and  power  of  this  noble  river,  than  the  islands 
which  he  has  formed  in  his  descent;  one  of  those  we 
passed  on  the  first  day,  was  eight  miles  long  and  one 
mile  broad,  covered  with  timber,  and  the  few  places 
cultivated  giving  already  ample  evidence  of  the  richness 
of  the  alluvium. 

We  were  rendered  somewhat  uneasy  by  the  state  of 
health  on  board,  several  cases  of  cholera  havincr  occur- 
red, one  of  which  terminated  fatally.  The  sufferer  was 
buried  in  a  retired  and  beautiful  forest  spot,  where  no 
surviving  friends  or  relatives  will  visit  his  tomb,  which  is 
in  one  of  the  loveliest  recesses  of  a  temple  now  dedica- 
ted to  Silence  and  Solitude!  It  will  not  be  long,  how- 
ever, ere  it  echoes  to  the  sound  of  the  axe,  and  becomes, 
perhaps,  a  busy  mart  of  traffic,  or  a  thriving  farm. 

*  It  is  difficult  for  a  mere  passing  traveller  to  form  an  estimate  of  the 
speed  of  the  stream  on  which  he  is  sailing  ;  it  requires  patient  obser- 
vation and  experiment.  As  I  had  neither  time  nor  means  for  doing  it 
accurately,  it  may  be  as  well  to  repeat  here,  that,  according  to  Lieute- 
nant Clark  and  Major  Long,  the  average  rapidity  of  the  Missouri  is 
about  a  fathom  per  second  (very  little  more  than  four  miles  per  hour)  ,♦ 
but  in  running  over  sand  bars  and  other  impediments,  it  often  doubles 
that  rapidity  :  Its  mean  descent  is  somewhat  less  than  live  inches  to  the 
mile,  which  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  Amazon  and  Ganges,  ac- 
cording to  Major  Rennell. 

Vol.  I.— P 


170  THE    CHOLERA. 

The  disease  did  not  appear  at  first  in  its  most  viru- 
lent form,  and  we  entertained  great  hopes  that  the  de- 
stroyer would  not  long  hover  over  our  vessel,  as  we  were 
crowded  into  a  small  cabin,  and  were  not  going  at  more 
than  two  or  three  miles  an  hour,  owing  to  the  imnriense 
force  of  the  current.  I  never  experienced  or  conceived 
such  changeful  or  unhealihy  weather.  On  the  20th  the 
heat  was  most  oppressive  ;  we  sat  at  half  past  nine  p.  m. 
on  the  deck,  perspiring,  without  hat  or  coal,  and  could 
scarcely  bear  a  sheet  on  the  bed.  On  the  22d  of  June 
the  cold  was  severe.  Most  of  the  passengers  wore  their 
greal-coals,  and  added  two  blankets  and  a  coverlet  to  their 
bedding;  we  kept,  moreover,  a  good  fire  in  the  cabin 
stove  !  This  change  occurred  in  about  two  hours  \ 
Who  can  wonder  at  the  fevers,  agues,  and  bilious  dis- 
eases prevalent  in  such  a  climate? 

We  were  delayed  by  the  usual  accidents  which  occur 
on  this  stream,  none  of  an  alarming  nature  ;  but  the  pad- 
dle boxes  and  buckets  were  repeatedly  broken  by  the 
limber  which  they  necessarily  and  frequently  encoun- 
tered. The  quantity  of  these  floaiing  obstructions  was 
so  great,  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  on  our  course  by 
nighr,  and  consequently  we  did  not  make  more  than  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  each  day  !  I  derived  one  advantage  from 
the  frequent  stoppages  which  we  made,  in  the  opportu- 
nities thereby  afforded  of  making  excursions  into  the 
woods  bordering  upon  the  river. 

The  settlements  or  clearances  on  the  Missouri  are 
generally  very  unhealthy,  and  will,  probably,  remain  so 
for  some  years.  The  houses  of  the  settlers  are  almost 
universally  log  huts,  composed  of  two  separate  cabins, 
divided  by  an  open  space,  for  the  circulation  of  air  in 
sumu)er,  but  both  covered  by  the  same  roof,  which  is,  of 
course,  composed  of  shingles. 

In  this  part  of  the  country  there  are  but  few  deer 
remaining,  as  the  settlemenis  are  so  numerous,  and 
every  settler  is  a  hunter  ;  besides  whicli,  the  season  was 
unpropitious  for  finding  game,  as  in  summer  they  only 
appear  in  the  morning  and  evening,  and  retire  to  the  thick 
brush  to  protect  them  from  the  heat  of  the  mid-day  sun. 
But  the  beauty  of  the  vegetable  world  is  unparalleled; 


GIGANTIC    TREES.  171 

the  trees  exceed  in  height  anything  that  I  have  before 
observed,  and  their  variety  is  so  great  as  utterly  to  con- 
found so  unpractised  a  botanist  as  myself.  As  regards 
magnitude,  the  cotton-wood  and  sycamore  appear  to  be 
monarchs  of  the  forest ;  they  often  rear  their  enormous 
trunks  to  forty  or  fifty  feet,  with  little  diminution  of  bulk. 
I  measured  one  at  about  five  feet  from  the  ground  ;  it 
was  nineteen  feet  in  circumference  ;  but  I  have  no  rea- 
son to  believe  tiiat  it  was  a  remarkably  large  specimen.* 
These  lofty  trees  are  rendered  picturesque  and  graceful 
by  the  vines  which  twine  round  their  gigantic  limbs,  and 
hang  in  wavy  festoons,  making,  in  some  places,  natural 
arbours  of  impenetrable  shade  ;  while  the  humbler 
brushwood  is  adorned  with  wild  roses  and  other  shrubs 
of  equal  and  rarer  beauty. 

A  great  proportion  of  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  is  occupied,  and  varies  in  price  from  one  dollar  and 
a  half  to  five  dollars  per  acre,  according  to  its  proximity 
to  the  rising  villages,  mills,  or  similar  advantages.  The 
depth  and  inexhaustible  fertility  of  the  soil  are  too  well 
known  to  require  comment ;  whatever  terms  may  have 
been  used  in  describing  them  can  scarcely  be  exaggera- 
tions. 

It  cannot,  however,  be  denied  that  this  favoured  part 
of  the  country  is  liable  to  many  objections  :  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Missouri  is  very  precarious  ;  when  the  water 
is  high  the  stream  is  extremely  strong  and  rapid  ;  be- 
sides which  it  carries  with  it  large  and  dangerous  drifts 
of  floating  timber;  when  low,  it  is  full  of  snags  and 
mud  bars;  the  navioation  is  impeded  in  the  winter  by 
the  ice  ;  and  the  climate  is  variable  to  a  degree  scarcely 
credible  in  Europe. 

There  was  a  magnificent  thunder-storm  on  the  night 
of  the  24th,  about  one  o'clock.  I  rose  from  my  bed  to 
enjoy  the  sight,  and  was  amply  repaid  for  the  loss  of  an 
hour's  sleep;  the  whole  western  sky  was  illuminated 
by  broad  and  fitful  sheets  of  lightning,  so  bright  at  limes 
as  to  light  up  the  mighty   river,  and   to   show  distinctly 

*  I  believe  this  tree,  which  I  call  "  sycamore,"  is  Plantanus  occiden- 
talis. 


172  THUNDERSTORM. 

the  bold  and  varying  features  of  its  banks  ;  in  a  moment 
again  all  was  black  and  slill,  nighl  had  thrown  her  mantle 
over  the  scene,  and  silence  resumed  her  empire  ;  then 
the  thunder  muttered  from  its  distant  couch,  and  again 
llie  brilliant  illumination  succeeded ;  the  peals  grew 
louder  and  louder,  till  at  length  they  burst  and  rauled  so 
near  above  us,  that  I  could  almost  believe  the  alarmed 
forest  trembled  beneath  their  wralh.  A  torrent  of  rain 
closed  the  scene.  I  retired  lo  my  berih  deeply  impress- 
ed vi^ith  the  might  of  Him  whoije  right  hand  launches 
and  checks  these  fiery  ministers  ! 

Gray  has  been  much  and  deservedly  praised  for  the 
stanZfV  in  which  he  directs  our  attention  lo  the  "■  flowrets 
born  to  blush  unseen  ;"  but  is  there  not  as  am[)le  a 
theme  for  meditation  in  the  parallel^  though  opposite 
piciure,  of  the  unseen  wonders  of  the  wilderness,  the 
hurricane,  the  cataract,  the  whirlwind,  whose  mighty 
footsteps  T  have  traced  in  the  primitive  forest,  where 
whole  acres  of  prostrate  timber  attest  the  power  that 
smote  them  ;  some  broken  sheer  through  the  middle, 
others  rearing  their  scathed  and  blackened  tops ;  some 
again  of  vast  size  bent  and  curved  like  willows,  and 
others  uprooted,  their  once  lofty  heads  buried  in  the 
mighty  stream  destined  at  no  distant  period  to  swreep 
them  down  to  ccean,  or  to  tise  them  as  materials  in  the 
formation  of  islands,  which  it  is  his  yearly  pastime  to 
create?  How  have  I  longed  to  behold  but  for  once  this 
elemental  strife,  whose  desolating  effects  are  so  awful  ! 

My  half- waking  half-sleeping  medititions  v^^ere  some- 
what disturbed  b^^  finding  myself,  at  five  o'clock,  soaked 
in  water,  owing  to  the  bad  construction  of  the  deck,  and 
I  left  my  berth  under  some  apprehensions  of  rheumatic 
consequences. 

The  state  of  health  on  board  continued  most  distress- 
ing ;  many  of  the  passengers  were  s-uffering  under  attacks 
of  cholera  in  various  forms  ;  some  groaned  with  pain,  and 
some,  I  believe,  were  ill  from  mere  imagination  and 
terror  :  besides  the  man  whom  we  had  buried  a  day  or 
two  before,  two  or  three  were  landed  in  a  dying  stale  ; 
one  of  whom  was  so  near  his  latter  end,  that  as  some 
difficulty  was  made   by  the   crew   about  carrying  him 


PAINTED    ROCKS.  173 

from  the  landing-place  to  the  tavern,  two  hundred  yards 
off,  he  would  have  been  left  to  die  on  the  bank,  as  the 
poor  vvretcli  seemed  to  have  neitlier  friend  nor  acquaint- 
ance to  assist  him,  had  not  a  few  of  the  cabin  passen- 
gers carried  him  up  and  left  him  in  the  care  of  the 
tavern-keeper.  I  was  one  of  this  sad  party,  and  I  have 
little  doubt  that  in  less  than  an  hour  the  poor  sufferer 
had  closed  his  eyes  among  strangers,  far  from  the  affec- 
tionate atteniions  with  which  love  and  kindred  are  wont 
to  soothe  the  anguish  of  a  dying  bed  ! 

The  banks  of  the  river  continued  to  present  the  same 
variety  of  bluffs  and  rich  alluvial  bottoms,  and  the 
weather  the  same  change  of  cold,  heat,  wind,  and  rain  ; 
the  boat  was  the  slowest  and  the  most  ill-arranged  that  I 
had  yet  seen  in  America.  The  boilers  being  leaky,  and 
the  machinery  out  of  order,  caused  a  constant  succes- 
sion of  delays  and  stoppages,  consequently  we  did  not 
make  more  ilian  thirty  miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours. 
On  the  25th  we  passed  the  mouth  of  Osage  river,  one 
of  the  great  tributaries  to  the  Missouri;  its  length  is 
about  one  thousand  miles,  and  I  believe  the  lower  part 
of  its  course  is  through  a  very  rich  and  heavily-timbered 
valley  :  it  falls  into  the  great  river  about  one  hundred 
miles  above  St.  Louis. 

We  passed  also  some  [me  precipitous  rocks  on  which 
are  numerous  specimens  of  Indian  painting.  These 
consist  chiefly  of  representations  of  strange  figures 
(ChimcBrcB  dirce),  buffaloes,  and  other  animals.  They 
were  originally  red,  but  time  and  the  weather  have  so 
worn  out  the  colour,  that  they  were  not  distinguishable 
from  the  part  of  the  river  where  we  passed,  so  tliat  I 
was  obliged  to  take  the  word  of  the  passengers  and 
other  persons  well  acquainted  with  the  neighbourhood  ; 
moreover,  I  believe,  they  are  the  same  as  those  mentioned 
in  the  travels  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  by  the  name  of  tlie 
Great  Manitou  Rocks,  having  been  formerly  sacred  to 
the  Great  Spirit  among  the  tribes  vi\\Q  inhabited  this 
district.* 

Among  the  towns  which  we  passed,  the  most  deserv- 

.   *  See  Wordsworth's  Sonnet  to  Duddon,  No,  xvi. 
p* 


174  BOONVILLE. FRANKLIN. 

ing  of  notice  is  Booneville,  situated  on  a  plain  about 
two  hundred  feel  above  the  river,  of  which  it  commands 
a  beautiful  view;  it  is  surrounded  by  fine  undulating 
woods  and  fertile  fields.  It  contains  shops,  warehouses, 
and  a  court-house,  besides  a  tavern,  dignified  by'  the 
name  of  a  hotel.  Some  of  the  houses  are  of  bri(  k,  but 
the  greater  proportion  are  framework  :  it  is  altogether 
one  of  the  preiliest  and  most  promising  settlements  in 
Missouri,  and  tlie  lots  of  land  are  nearly  equal  in  value 
to  those  of  St.  Louis. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  Franklin  :  it  is,  I 
believe,  an  older  settlement  than  Hooneville  ;  but  is 
more  low,  unhealthy,  and  in  every  respect  worse  situated, 
as  regards  its  prospects  either  of  pleasure  or  profit. 
Both  salt  and  coal  are  found  in  this  neighbourhood  ;  the 
former  is  manufactured  in  a  manner  resembling  the  salt- 
works near  the  Ohio;  ihe  latter  sleeps,  I  believe,  undis- 
turbed in  its  bed.  I"  went  into  one  house  which  had 
been  struck  by  lightning  the  preceding  night;  several 
pans  of  the  interior  plastering  liad  been  scattered  about 
the-  rooms,  but  little  serious  damage  was  done.  We 
experienced  one  very  severe  siiock  in  the  steam-boat, 
which  actually  trembled,  but  received  no  injury. 

In  this  part  of  liie  country,  beef  sells  at  ihree  pence 
per  pound,  chickens  at  two-pence  halfpenny  sterling, 
common  horses  at  forty  or  fifty  dollars,  and  land  at  va- 
rious prices,  from  one  dollar  and  a  half  to  five  dollars 
per  acre. 

On  the  2(Jlh,  nothing  of  any  consequence  occurred  ; 
but  we  ran  aground  once  or  twice  on  a  bar,  and  had  one 
very  narrow  escape,  which  is  worlh  relating,  as  it  shows 
the  diflRculties  attending  tiie  navigation  of  this  extraor- 
dinary river.  The  pilot,  who  was  considered  one  of 
the  most  experienced  in  his  profession,  steered  us  up  a 
narrow  channel  beiween  an  island  and  the  river  bank  ; 
and  when  we  reached  the  point  where  it  again  joined 
the  main  stream,  the  passage  was  eflfectually  blockaded 
by  an  enormous  and  solid  raft  of  floating  timber:  when 
be  came  down  a  short  time  ago,  this  channel  was  per- 
fectly free;  it  uould  now  have  defied  Admiral  Rodney, 
or  any  other  bold  line-breaker.     A  deposit  of  mud   was 


NARROW    ESCAPE.  175 

already  lodged  on  a  considerable  portion  of  it,  and  a  few 
infant  willows  and  poplars  had  made  it  iheir  nursery. 

The  stream  was  running  with  great  velocity — ihere 
was  little  room  for  turning  the  steamer,  and  just  below 
us  was  a  most  formidable  snag  in  the  mid-stream. 
After  manffiuvring  for  at  least  twenty  niinutes  between 
this  vegetable  Scylla  and  Charybdis,  the  pilot  succeeded 
in  clearing  the  snag,  and  returning  down  the  siream  to 
seek  a  more  favourable  outlet.  VVe  were  not  aware  of 
having  been  in  any  danger;  but  the  captain  aftervvards 
informed  us  that,  if  we  had  got  across  the  snag,  the 
boat  would  have  split  up  and  gone  to  pieces,  and  we 
did  not  miss  it  by  more  than  six  inches  \  This  may 
seem  extraordinary  to  those  who  do  nat  know  the  vast 
size  and  bulk  of  the  embedded  tree  forming  the  snag, 
the  extretne  force  and  rapidity  of  the  current,  and  the 
slight  materials  of  which  these  steamers  are  built :  at 
all  events,  our  captain  assured  us  that  he  had  rarely  ex- 
perienced more  uneasy  sensations  than  during  those 
few  minutes. 

In  spite  of  accidents  and  current,  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  9ih  day,  at  Liberty,  the  last  western  village  in* 
the  United  Slates.  Here  we  were  obliged  to  slay  two 
or  three  days,  lo  make  preparation  for  our  trip  into  the 
wilderness.  The  most  essential  purchase  was  in  the 
horse-market :  the  quantity  of  animals  brought  in  for 
me  to  try  was  considerable,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  I 
found  myself  and  my  companion  owners  of  five  ponies 
and  a  mule;  being  two  for  our  own  riding,  one  for  my 
servant,  and  three  for  pockiu^.  I  shall  make  an  extract 
from  the  account  of  the  store  where  we  provided  our- 
selves with  all  ihe  requisites  for  the  prairie,  as  a- kind- 
of  memorandum  and  illustration  of  the  articles  most 
necessary  for  an  excursion  among  the  western  tribes; 

Being  already  provided  with  arms,  saddles,  laryettes 
or  teifiers,  blankets,  a  bear-skin,  pack-saddles,  and  horses, 
(which  last  averaged  about  forty  dollars  a-piece,  of  a 
small  size,)  a  box  of  vermilion,  to  make  presents  to  In- 
dians withal,  and  a  very  small  assortment  of  hunting 
clothes,  r  provided  at  the  ontfilting  store  the  following 
items: — 10  lbs.  of  lead,  6  Ibs^  of  siiot,  20  lbs  of  coffee, 


176  OUTFIT. 

12  lbs.  of  salt;  an  assortment  of  rings;  beads  of  all 
colours  and  sizes  ;  wampum*  mirrors,  knives,  and  oiher 
trifles  for  presents  ;  24  lbs.  of  sugar,  three  pack-blankets 
and  sacks,  a  bottle  of  pepper,  some  tin  cups,  a  bucket, 
one  copper  kettle,  two  tin  pans,  a  frying-pan,  a  jug,  two 
canteens  for  water,  two  jugs  for  brandy,  10  lbs.  of  pow- 
der, 50  lbs.  of  bacon  for  frying,  eating,  &c.  ;  these,  and 
a  few  other  sundries,  make  a  somewhat  troublesome 
freight  for  one  or  two  mules  and  ponies,  especially  if  it 
be  considered  ihat  the  most  important  article  is  not  yet 
included,  nam.ely,  bread  or  flour,  in  some  shape  or  other, 
which  is  necessary  to  the  extent  of  70  or  80  lbs.  for 
three  persons,  as  it  is  a  very  long  journey  before  the 
hunter  can  expect  to  find  buff'alo ;  and  then  he  may  be 
disappointed,  as  they  shift  iheir  ground  very  much. 

Tlie  whole  of  this  outfit,  including  five  horses  and  one 
mule,  was  lillle  more  than  300  dollars,  or  60Z. 

On  the  2d  of  July  we  started  for  Fort  Leavenworth, 
the  western  military  post  of  the  United  States  ;  but  s  i- 
nated  about  twenty  miles  beyond  the  states'  boundary, 
in  a  kind  of  neutral  ground,  belonging  neither  to  the  red 
nor  the  wliite  man,  but  on  which  both  are  forbidden  by 
the  law  of  the  country  to  settle.  About  ten  miles  from 
Liberty  we  came  to  the  first  prairie  which  I  had  crossed 
in  Missouri :  it  was  eight  miles  broad,  consisting  of 
beautiful  undulations  of  pasture,  adorned  with  bright 
and  various  flowers,  and  studded  with  numerous  little 
islands  of  timber,  so  regular  in  their  form  and  so  taste- 
fully disposed,  as  to  induce  the  traveller  to  believe  that 
Messrs.  Knight,  Brown,  and  other  "  picturesque"  and 
"  capability"  brethren,  had  laid  it  out  with  the  most  ex- 
act care.  I  was  quite  aware  that  this  was  but  a  lake, 
compared  to  the  ocean  of  prairie  which  I  was  yet  to  see 
in  the  far  West;  but  as  it  was  bounded  on  all  sides  by  a 
noble  forest  of  timber,  the  scenery  was  equally  new  and 
delightful. 

*  "  Wampum."  Ttiis  word  is  a  corruption  of  "  Wampampea,"  In- 
dian money  ;  so  called  by  the  Narragansets,  and  other  tribes  found  in 
New  Enifland  by  the  first  British  settlers  :  it  was  of  two  liinds,  white 
and  black  ;  the  one  made  of  the  shell  of  the  periwinkle  (Buccinum  un,' 
datum  fiin.)  ;  the  other  of  that  of  the  clam  {Vaius  merccnana  Lin.) ; 
both  belonir  to  the  class  Vermes  teslacea. 


MUSQXJITOES  177 

After  a  pleasant  ride  of  about  thirty  miles,  during 
which  we  crossed  with  some  little  difficulty  ilie  river 
Plalte  (which  freqiienlly  rises  or  falls  thirty  feet  in  a 
week),  we  came  to  a  low  swampy  wood,  where  the  mud 
was  about  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  deep  (the  weather 
being  firie  and  dry).  Tiie  road  (if  it  can  be  so  called) 
wanders  ad  libitum  round  clumps,  fallen  timber,  and 
bushes,  leaving  every  traveller  to  select  the  places 
where  he  is  least  likely  to  stick  fast :  and  here  let  me 
not  fail  to  record  the  high  talents  in  strategy  displayed 
by  sundry  light  troops  called  musquitoes,  that,  wkh 
true  Indian  cunning,  lie  in  ambush  in  this  dense  swamp, 
and  dart  out  upon  ihe  helpless  wanderer  in  swarms^ 
when  his  utmost  exertions  cannot  urge  the  fleetest  steed 
to  a  pace  above  a  struggling  walk.  Arming;  our  hands 
with  branches,  like  Macduff's  soldiers  of  old,  our  souls 
with  fortitude,  and  our  mouths  with  cigars,  we  forced 
our  way  gallantly  through  opposing  myriads  without 
receiving  wo/e  than  a  thousand  wounds,  and  arrived 
safe  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  thankful  for  having 
escaped  the  muddy  perils  of  the  *'  Missouri  bottom." 

It  was  too  late  to  ferry  over  our  horses,  which  we 
accordingly  left  on  the  northern  bank.  We  crossed  in 
a  canoe  ;  and,  with  our  saddlebags  on  our  arms,  made 
good  our  entrance  about  nightfall  into  the  fort.  Most 
of  the  officers  were  absent  with  Colonel  Dodge's  ex- 
ploring expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  one  which 
I  had  been  myself  so  anxious  to  join,  but  from  Lieute- 
nant C — — ,  the  commanding  officer,  and  one  or  tWQ 
odiers  who  happened  to  be  in  the  fort,  we  received  thQ 
most  polite  and  hospitable  attention. 

Fort  Leavenworth  is  situated  on  a  promontory  formed 
by  a  svveeping  bend  of  the  Missouri,  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  river,  of  which  it  commands  a  fine  view.  It 
is  considerably  elevated  above  the  bed  of  the  streams, 
and  the  country  immediately  adjacent  is  prairie,  thick- 
ly scattered  with  timber  and  brushwood. 

At  the  distance  af  a  mile  from  the  cantonment  rises 
a  semicircular  range  of  heights,  to  the  top  of  which  I 
soon  made  my  way,  and  was  repaid  by  as  fair  a  prospect 
as  ever  gladdened  the  eye  of  man.      Looking  lowardi 


178  KICKAPOO    TRIBE. 

the  north,  below  me  was  tlie  fort,  with  its  scattered 
white  buildings,  bearing  the  appearance  of  a  neat  little 
village  among  the  trees;  beyond  it  were  seen  fifteen  or 
twenty  while  tents,  being  the  encampment  of  a  body  of 
Indians,  moving  westward,  under  the  superintendence 
of  an  Indian  agent;  their  dusky  and  blanketed  forms 
scarcely  visible,  as  they  strode  from  tent  to  tent,  while 
around  were  browsing  their  mules  and  ponies;  here  and 
there  might  be  seen  two  or  three  galloping  their  wild 
little  steeds  from  one  part  to  another  of  the  plain  be- 
low :  beyond  the  fort  was  the  magnificent  river,  here 
showing  the  full  expansive  breadth  of  its  course,  and 
there  to  be  traced  only  by  broken  glimf)ses  caught  through 
the  surrounding  trees;  while  on  its  opposite  bank  rose 
the  verdant  and  multitudinous  mass  of  primitive  forest, 
defying  the  eye  to  scan,  or  the  mind  to  reduce  to  mea- 
surement, its  acres  and  miles  of  extent.  I  had  then  but 
to  turn  round,  and  look  towards  the  south,  when  llie  eye 
wandered  over  a  vast  undulating  prairie,  and  reposed  at 
length  upon  a  far  distant  range  of  hills,  just  discernible 
through  the  rich  sunny  haze  in  which  they  were  mantled. 
In  the  description  of  scenes  like  these,  the  inefficiency 
of  language  is  felt,  and  one  cannot  help  acknowledging 
the  trutli  of  Byron's  coarse,  but  forcible  imagery,  when 
he  says  we  become  "dazzled  and  drunk  with    beauty."* 

Within  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  Fort  Leavenworth 
are  settled  a  great  variety  of  Indian  tribes,  most  of  them 
emigrants  from  the  couritry  now  inhabited  by  the  whites, 
especially  from  the  slates  of  Jlliiiois  and  Michigan.  The 
nearest  to  the  fort  are  the  Kickapoos,  who  are  settled  in 
a  village  distant  from  it  about  four  miles.  They  are  a 
weak  and  daily  decreasing  tribe  ;  their  natural  properties 
axe  much  changed  by  constant  communication  with  the 
whites.  There  is  a  Methodist  missionary  resident 
among  them. 

The  fort  is  supplied  with  beef  and  other  meal,  chiefly 
by  a  farmer  who  lives  in  the  Great  Bottom,  immediately 
opposite  to  it.     Among  other  articles   for  the  supply  of 

*  This  idea  occurs  so  frequently  in  German  poetry,  as  to  be  familiar 
to  every  one  who  is  conversant  with  the  literature  of  that  country. 


COMMEMORATION    FESTIVITIES.  179 

the  table,  one  of  the  most  abundant  to  be  met  with  here, 
is  the  catfish.  I  found  it  somewhat  coarse,  but  not  un- 
palatable eating.  These  fish  are  caught  of  a  most 
enormous  size,  and  in  great  quantities,  by  the  settlers, 
on  the  banks  of  tlie  river;  one  of  whom  told  me  that  he 
caught  four  in  the  course  of  one  morning,  weighing 
above  fifty  pounds  each. 

On  the  4ih  of  July,  the  usual  commemoration  took 
place,  of  firing  twenty-four  guns  ;  after  which  ceremony 
we  adjourned  to  an  excellent  dinner ;  and  madera  and 
champaign  were  the  order  of  the  day.  We  had  spent 
an  hour  or  two  in  the  festivities  of  the  table,  when  news 
was  brought  in  that  a  hundred  and  fifty  Pawnees  had 
arrived  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Dougherty,  one  of 
the  principal  Indian  agents ;  and,  upon  an  invitation 
from  ttie  officers,  twelve  or  fourteen  of  their  chief  war- 
riors came  into  the  mess-room.  I  had  already  seen 
many  Indians,  but  none  so  wild  and  unsophislicated  as 
these  genuine  children  of  the  wilderness.  They  entered 
the  room  with  considerable  ease  and  dignit}?-,  shook 
hands  with  us  all,  and  sat  down  comfortably  to  cigars 
and  madera.  I  was  quite  astonished  at  the  tact  and 
self-possession  of  these  Indians,  two-thirds  of  whom 
had  never  been  in  a  settlement  of  white  men  before, 
nor  had  ever  seen  a  fork,  or  table,  or  chair  in  their  lives  ; 
yet,  without  asking  questions,  or  appearing  to  observe 
what  was  passing,  they  caught  it  with  intuitive  readi- 
ness, and  during  the  whole  dinner  were  not  guilty  of  a 
single  absurdity  or  breach  of  decorum. 

The  dress  of  these  Indians  consisted  of  a  belt  of  deer- 
skin round  the  middle,  with  a  flap  passing  between  the 
legs,  and  fastened  again  to  the  belt  behind.  Their  legs 
were  covered  with  tight  legf^ins  of  deer-skin,  and  their  feet 
by  moccasins;  while  their  shoulders  were  loosely  and 
gracefully  covered,  or  half  covered,  by  a  blanket  or  buffa- 
lo-skin. Most  of  them  had  ear-rings,  bead-necklaces,  and 
armlets;  and  the  two  principal  chiefs  wore  round  their 
necks  a  large  medal  each,  on  which  was  engraved  the 
head  of  the  late  President  of  the  United  States.  The 
greater  part  of  them  were  lustv,  and  a  few  even  fat, 
giving  no  outward  evidence   of  the  privations  to  which 


180  SAVAGES    FEASTING. 

their  mode  of  life  renders  them  so  liable.  Generally 
speaking,  they  were  of  middle  height,  with  fine  cheais, 
arms  vvell-proporiioned  bill  not  muscular,  and  remarka- 
bly fine-shaped  legs.  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  coun- 
tenance among  them  that  could  be  pronounced  hand- 
some, though  several  were  pleasing  and  good-humoured  ; 
but  the  prevalent  character  of  their  expression  was 
haughty  impenetrable  reserve,  easily  di?ilinguishable 
through  the  mask  of  fiank  conciliation,  which  their  pre- 
sent object  rendered  it  expedient  for  them  to  wear. 

As  we  in  our  mirth  sang  one  or  two  choral  songs,  we 
called  upon  our  red  brethren.  They  rose  all  at  once  ; 
and  I  never  shall  forget  the  effect  of  that  first  Indian 
chorus  which  I  ever  heard.  Each  singer  began,  by 
strange  and  uncouth  sounds,  to  work  his  mind  and  lungs 
up  to  the  proper  pitch  of  exciteu)enl  ;  and  when  at  length 
their  shrill  and  terrible  cry  rose  to  its  full  height,  its 
eflect  was  astounding,  and  sufficient  to  deafen  a  delicate 
ear.  Then  again  they  would  allow  their  strain  lo  fall 
into  a  monotonous  cadence,  to  which  they  kept  lime 
with  inflections  of  the  head  and  body,  and  again  burst 
forth  into  full  chorus  of  mingled  yell  and  howl. 

In  an  hour  the  party  broke  up;  and  as  the  twilight 
was  selling  in,  I  jumped  on  my  horse  to  gallop  off  the 
effects  of  wine,  noise,  and  smoke.  After  ridinsr  till  the 
moon  was  pretty  "  high  in  heaven,"  I  returned  to  the 
fort,  and,  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  it,  enjoyed  a 
scene,  only  transferable  to  the  imagination  of  another 
by  the  pencil  of  Rembrandt  or  Wouvermans. 

In  the  midst  of  the  encampment,  the  while  tents  of 
which  showed  like  snow  in  the  moonlight,  were  eight 
or  len  large  blazing  fires,  round  which  the  savages 
were  gathered  in  circles,  roasting  on  rough  sticks  huge 
fragments  of  a  newly-killed  ox.  The  greater  part  of 
them  were  naked,  except  the  before-mentioned  belt 
round  the  middle  ;  and  their  dusky  figures,  lighted  par- 
tially by  the  fiiful  glare  of  the  crackling  wood  fire, 
seemed  like  a  band  of  demons  gathered  round  one  of 
the  fabled  caldrons  of  necromancy.  Recognizing  one 
of  the  chiefs  who  had  joined  us  at  the  dinner  table,  and 
Mr.  Dougherty,  smoking  with  him,  in  one  of  these  grim 


SAVAGES    FEASTING.  18t 

circles,  I  and  my  young  German    friend  leaped   off  our 
horses,  which  an  Indian   held    for  us,  and   advanced  to 
wards  the  chief.      Room  was   immediately  made,  and    a 
buffalo-skin  given  us  to  sit  upon.     We  shook  hands,  and 
smoked  too-ether.     ISoori  the  ribs  of  beef  were  declared 

o 

"roasted,"  and  an  Indian  havmg  cut  and  torn  them 
apart,  laid  one  before  Mr.  Doglierty,  one  before  the 
chief,  and  one  before  us. 

I  had  not  much  appetite  so  soon  after  a  good  dinner  ; 
however,  I  had  read  and  heard  too  much  of  Indian  pre- 
judices to  decline,  and  accordingly  ate  two  or  three 
mouthful s  of  half-raw  meat,  which  would  have  been 
very  palatable  to  a  hunter  or  starved  traveller.  The 
scene  around  baffled  all  description  :  the  savages  scat- 
tered about  in  every  sedentary  or  recumbent  attitude  that 
man  or  monkey  can  assume,  tearing  the  meat  from  the 
bone  with  their  strong  teeth,  and  masticating  slices,  each 
of  which  would  be  ada^'s  dinner  to  a  Yorkshire  plough- 
man, our  horses  standing  in  mute  astonishment  by,  and- 
the  background  of  the  picture  occupied  by  distant 
groups,  collected  also  round  their  fires,  produced  alto- 
gether an  effect  neither  to  be  described  nor  forgotten. 

Having  formed  a  hasty,  but  determined,  resolution,  of 
accom.panying  these  Pawnees  in  their  reiurn  to  their  na- 
tion, I  was  anxious  to  derive  all  the  benefit  possible  from 
the  advice  and  assistance  of  Mr.  Dogherly,  who  being 
the  negotiator  of  all  their  treaties  with  the  United  States, 
and  being  tolerably  familiar  with  their  language,  possessed 
great  influence  with  the  tribe.  This  gentleman  entered 
most  obligingly  into  my  scheme  ;  he  held  a  talk  with  the 
leaders  of  the  parly  ;  told  them  that  I  was  "  a  great  chief 
among  white  men  ;  that  t  was  a  son  or  relative  of  their 
grandfather;  and  tliat,  if  they  killed  me,  or  did  me  any 
injury,  I  should  be  revenged,"  &c.  He  also  gave  me 
useful  directions  for  my  own  conduct  among  them,  ad- 
visincr  rrie  never  to  joke  at  any  of  their  religious  or  "  me- 
dicine" ceremonies,  however  absurd  ;  never  to  play  or 
become  too  familiar  with  them  ;  to  conciliate  them  as 
much  as  possible  by  presents,  but  not  to  allow  them  to 
rob  me  ;  and,  above  all,  if  they  tried  to  impose  upon  me, 
or  to  bully  me  out  of  any  point  where  I  was  sure  that  I 

Vol.  L— Q 


182  WILD  EXPERIMENT. 

was  in  the  right,  to  resist  firmly,  and  give  them  the  idea 
that  I  would  maintain  my  object  wiihout  regard  to  my 
life.  He  said,  that  by  observing  these  hints  I  might 
spend  a  summei  among  them,  and  probably  return  in 
safely,  barring  the  accidenls  that  might  arise  from  quar- 
rels, or  war-parlies  of  hoslile  tribes,  and  other  casuaUies 
incidental  to  the  wild  irregular  life  in  the  prairie. 

We  spent  two  or  three  days  very  pleasantly  at  the 
fort,  and  completed  our  preparations  and  packages,  which 
is  a  much  more  unpleasant,  or  rather  tiresome,  business, 
than  can  be  imagined  by  those  accustomed  to  civilized 
life,  where  its  comforts  can  be  procured  for  money  ; 
while  in  the  wilderness  to  which  we  w^ere  bound,  the 
only  resource  was  the  rifle,  and  such  provisions  as  we 
could  lake.  We  tried  in  vain  to  get  a  half-blood  In- 
dian, or  any  other  attendant  accustomed  to  camp-hunt- 
ing, and  accordingly  were  obliged  to  trust  ourselves  alone 
with  the  savages,  the  only  means  of  communication  be- 
ing through  an  interpreter,  who  spoke  very  bad  French, 
very  good  Pawnee,  and  no  English.  This  seemed  a 
strange  and  wild  experiment;  but  having  complete  con- 
fidence in  the  agent  who  sanctioned  our  so  doing,  I  hired 
a  lad,  the  son  of  the  garrison  mess-man,  to  assist  in  lead- 
ing the  pack-horses,  cooking,  &c.,  and  set  forth  on  the 
7lh  of  July. 


PAWNEE  CHIEFS.  183 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Pawnee  chiefs  with  whom  I  started. — Leave  Fort  Leavenworth. — RoU- 
inor  Prairie. — Halting  Place. — Loss  of  Horses. — Flock  of  Perroquets. 
— Our  stray  Horses. — Indian  Appetite. — Accidents  by  the  Way. — 
Overtake  the  Pawnee  Deputation. — Esculent  Roots. — Deer-stalking 
in  the  Prairie. — A  Misfortune. — Cross  the  Great  Nimahaw  River. — 
Party  in  Search  of  Elk. —  Rejoin  the  Camp. — Tired  Horse. — False 
Alarm  of  Chill  and  Fever. — The  Kanzas  Kiver. — My  Doa  killed  and 
eaten. — Fatiguing  Travelling. — Friendly  Reception. — Effect  of  whis- 
key on  the  Indians — Indian  Village — Occupations  of  the  Men,  Wo- 
men, and  Children.— The  old  Chief— Buffalo  Meat.—  trder  of 
March. — Pawnee  Summer  Lodge. — Medicine. — First  Night  in  the 
Pawnee  Lodge. — Dogs. 

The  names  of  the  four  principal  Pawnee  chiefs  wiih 
whom  I  started  were  {nearly)  as  follows  : — 

Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  or  "  wicked-chief,"  grand  Pawnees ; 
Le-pre-colo-'hoo-la-charo,  or  *'  moulh-chief,"  Tapage 
Pawnees ;  Pa^-ta^-ia^-cha'ro,*  or  "  man-chief,"  grand 
Pawnees ;  Too-la-la-cha-shu,  or  "  the  man  w^ho  runs," 
grand  Pawnees. 

Having  left  Fort  Leavenworth  with  the  Pawnees  about 
eleven  o'clock,  we  travelled,  ratlier  to  the  north  of  west, 
twenly-five  miles,  through  a  beautiful  rolling  prairie,  in- 
terspersed with  trees,  which  were  so  regularly  and  care- 
fully grouped  as  to  remind  me  of  Windsor  and  other  no- 
ble English  parks ;  but  these  had  the  additional  advan- 
tage of  forming  part  of  a  woodland  scene  boundless  in 
extent,  and  for  the  first  ten  miles  the  picturesque  and 
broken  heights  which  confine  the  Missouri  increased  the 
beauty  of  the  prospect.  The  srass,  which  was  extremely 
rich  and  luxuriant,  was  sprinkled  with  gay  flowers,  which 
were  mostly  unknown  to  me,  although  I  had  seen  some 
as  tenants  of  a  British  hothouse,  as  several  varieties  of 
the  "  cactus,"  and  others,  whose  names,  vulgar  or  scien- 
tific, I  am  unable  to  record. 

♦•  The  son  of  the  Maha,  or  Pawnee  Loup  chief,  was  also  with  the 
deputation. 


184  FLOCK    OF  PERROQUETS. 

We  camped,  vvilh  our  good-humoured  savages,  at  sun- 
set, on  the  banks  of  a  creek*  thinly  clolhed  with  brush- 
wood, where  the  mui^quiioes  were  not  much  more  nu- 
merous than  the  flies  in  a  sugar  cupboard.  Having  re- 
leased our  horses  and  mules  from  their  saddles  and 
packages,  we  proceeded  to  cook  our  supper,  consisting 
of  tea,  fried  ham,  and  sea-biscuit.  The  night  was  ex- 
tremely foggy  and  cold  ;  and,  on  rising  at  daybreak,  we 
made  ihe  agreeable  discovery  that  four  of  our  animals, 
including  a  iriule,  had  broken  away  from  their  respective 
fastenings,  and  were  nowhere  to  be  found. 

I  despatched  the  younirer  of  our  attendants  and  an  In- 
dian in  pursuit;  meanwhile  the  savages  proceeded  on 
their  journey,  leaving  us  in  toial  ignorance  of  ihe  "  lo- 
calfo^^  of  our  quadruped  deserters.  It  was  a  dull  and 
weary  day,  and  gave  ample  scope  for  an  attack  of  the 
blue  devds.  In  seasons  like  these,  when  the  solitude 
and  monotony  of  the  prairie  are  not  relieved  bv  the  ex- 
citement of  travellino  or  the  chase,  the  ghosts  of  remem- 
bered social  enjoyments  are  apt  to  intrude  on  the  vvan- 
derer's  waking  dreams  1  Could  some  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  shared  them,  and  who  are  still  within  their  sphere, 
only  imagine  how  often  they  are  called  up  by  fancy  or 
memory  to  cheer  the  hours  of  absence^  I  cannot  but  think 
it  w^ould  augment  their  happiness.  By  the  enchantment 
thus  lent  by  distance,  the  ordinary  and  ddily  occurrences 
of  social  intercourse  (so  apt  to  be  ungratefully  passed  over) 
are  seen  in  their  fairest  colours,  and  a  W'alk,  a  ride,  a 
word,  a  smile,  recalled  to  mind,  become  food  for  delight- 
iul^  though  somewhat  melancholy,  rumination. 

I  rambled  about  the  woods  near  our  halting- place,  with 
my  fowling-piece  in  my  hand,  and  Peevish  by  my  side, 
but  found  nothing  feathered  upon  which  to  exercise  my 
skill  except  a  small  flock  of  green  Perroquets.  (I  be- 
lieve, the  species  called  Psittacus  rujirostris.)  I  killed 
half  a  dozen,  and  we  cooked  them  for  supper  ;  they  were 
fat,  and  by  no  means  unpalatable.  I  retained  some  of 
the  more  gay  and  brilliant  feathers  as  presents  for  the 
Indians. 

*  A  small  river  or  stream  is  invariably  so  denominated  in  this  part  of 
the  world. 


ACCIDENTS. 


186 


On  the  following  day,  our  lad  returned  with  the  Indian 
and  two  of  the  stray  horses,  leaving  us  minus  the  largest 
mule  and  a  very  preiiy  liitle  mare,  which  last  I  had  de. 
^tinedto  the  honour  of  bearing  me  to  charge  the  buffalo. 
We  called  a  council,  to  decide  whether  we  should  return 
to  the  fort,  recover  the  remaining  estrays,  and  seek  some 
other  opportunity;  or  place  our  packages  on  the  two  re- 
maining animals,  and  proceed  at  all  risks  The  spirit  of 
adventure  prevailed,  and  we  determined  to  follow  the 
Pawnees  immediately.  It  should  be  added,  more  I  fear 
to  the  praise  of  the  horses'  endurance  than  of  our  huma- 
nity, that  the  two  recovered  fugitives,  one  of  which  was 
my  favourite  riding-mare,  had  gone  the  whole  way  back 
to  the  fort,  and  thence  been  again  ridden  hard  to  our 
campina-place,  making  in  all  seventy-five  miles,  without 
rest  or  food,  except  what  they  could  pick  up  by  the  way. 
This  was  not  a  good  "  preliminary"  for  a  long  journey 
of  a  thousand  miles  more  or  less. 

I  had  been  hicky  enough  to  kill  a  fawn,  (the  only 
deer  seen  since  we  left  the  fort,)  which  furnished  us  a 
o-ood  supper,  and  no  more;  for  never  did  \  see  anyihing 
equal  to  the  appetite  of  our  Indian.  Ribs,  head,  shoul- 
ders,  &c.,  disappeared  one  after  the  other.  He  quietly 
ate  everything  placed  before  or  near  him,  without  the 
slightest  symptom  of  diminished  power ,  and  I  was  not 
thfn  aware  of  the  incredible  capacity  of  Indians  or  of 
their  notion  that  it  is  impolite  to  decline  proffered  food 
under  any  circumstances  whatsoever. 

We  rode  on,  under  a  hot  sun,  but  with  a  fine  breeze, 
through  a  country  rather  less  rich  in  timber  and  foliage 
and  camped  at  night,  iiavincr  made  about  thirty-  our  mile, 
rourse   W  N  W.     Not  being  yet  accustomed  to  pass  the 
ThMmder  the  free  star-lit  vault,  I  did  not  sleep  much; 
bul  It  did  not  matter,  as  my  young  German  companioa 

slept  enough  for  both.  ■j„„,„ 

The  9lh  of  J»ly  was  a  continued  chapter  of  accidents^ 

commencing  wid,  a  somerset  P"f"""<^'' .'jy  "J^  i"  ^ 
mule,  ,hatwas  carrving  about  250lbs  w,l .  wh,ch  h^ 
attempted  to  scramble  up  a  shppery  bank,  at  'he  bottom 
of  wli'r.h  was  a  pond,  about  four  feel  deep  ^ '.e  the 
immortalized  cat,  he  "  tumbled  headlong  m,    hi»  whole 

Q* 


186  ACCIDENTS.' 

load  falling  on  him,  and  would  probably  have  been 
drowned  or  smolliered,  had  not  one  of  the  men  jumped 
in,  and  cut  all  the  cords  and  thongs  that  bound  hiin.  For 
a  fewminuies,  our  [)rovisions,  consisting  of  sugar,  flour,* 
and  biscuit,  as  well  as  our  presents  for  the  Indians,  such 
as  powder,  vermilion,  tobacco,  &c.,  remained  under  wa- 
ter, very  much  to  our  consternation  and  annoyance  :  nor 
do  I  think  the  strongest  advocate  for  cleanliness  and 
cold  water  that  ever  drew  breath,  could  have  viewed  that 
immersion  with  satisfaction.  The  invulnerable  mule 
was  unhurt,  and  repacked.  A  few  miles  farther,  he 
thought  fit  to  amuse  us  with  feats  of  activity  and  sleight 
of  foot,  galloped  off  the  path,  and  did  not  cease  kicking 
and  plunging  till  he  had  deposiied  every  article  of  his 
pack  on  the  prairie,  and  had  totally  freed  himself  from 
his  harness,  or,  in  the  convenient  language  of  patriots, 
the  "trammels  of  office."  This,  though  laughable  enough, 
was  scarcely  pleasant,  as  we  were  in  a  hurry.  Jt  was 
impossible,  however,  to  be  angry  with  the  little  wreich, 
who  had  not  the  least  vice  in  him,  but  grazed  quietly 
near  his  late  rejected  load,  and  suffered  its  scattered  parts 
to  be  replaced  without  any  signs  of  alarm  or  discontent. 
We  thus  lost  a  great  deal  of  time,  especially  as  our 
attendants  were  extremely  slow  and  awkward  in  pack- 
ing; and  I  know  not  whether  the  French  interpreter 
nnnttered  more  curses  upon  the  activity  of  the  mule  or 
the  tardiness  of  his  drivers.  The  anger  of  fate  w:as  not 
yet  appeased  ;  and,  after  another  ten  miles,  the  poor  little 
mule  was  again  laid  low  in  a  miry  creek,  where  he  rolled 
and  struggled  so  furiously  for  many  minutes  that  I  felt 
sure  he  must  be  seriously  strained  and  injured.  The 
pack  was  again  cut  off,  the  mule  extricated  and  reloaded, 
and  no  farther  accident  occurred,  except  that  another 
horse  ran  away  with  our  keg  of  brandy,  which,  fell  off, 
and  was  dragged,  at  a  gallop,  for  half  a  mJle,  over  the 
"rolling  prairie,"  and  a  considerable  quantity  escaped. 

*  Before  quitting  the  fort,  I  ha<3  added  to  our  stock  of  provisions  a 
small  bag  of  flour  carefully  sown  up  in  repeated  folds  of  skin  and  wax- 
cloth; it  was  prepared  by  an  experienced  hunter,  so  as  to  be  proof 
against  wet  and  all  other  damage.  I  never  told  what  it  contained,  be- 
ing determined  to  keep  it  as  a  reserve,  in  case  of  extreme  necessity. 


ESCULENT  ROOTS.  187 

In  spile  of  these  delays,  I  don't  think  we  travelled  less 
than  fifty  miles,  having  been  in  motion  from  six  a.  m.  till 
half-past  nine,  p.  m. 

This  was  a  disagreeable  evening:  it  had  rained  most 
of  the  day  ;  ourselves,  clothes,  &c.,  were  tolerably  soak- 
ed ;  we  could  not  pilch  our  tent ;  and  with  some  difficuhy 
got  up  a  fire,  threw  some  tea  into  a  pot  of  boiling  water, 
and  mixing  il  with  our  wet  biscuit,  found  it  delicious.  It 
rained  all  night,  and  all  the  following  morning;  however, 
we  succeeded  about  mid-day  in  overtaking  our  Pawnees, 
the  old  chief,  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  ennbraced  me  tenderly,  and 
seemed  much  grieved  at  our  having  lost  two  horses. 
We  then  opened  our  bales,  lo  ascertain  the  amouru  of 
damage  done  by  mulish  freaks  and  wet.  We  found 
most  of  our  biscuit  reduced  to  bad  pap;  many  of  our 
beads  blackened  with  wet  powder;  and  part  of  the  ver- 
milion bestowing  its  rosy  favours  among  its  neighbours-, 
with  an  indiscriminate  generosity  which  was  by  no  means 
admired.  Our  knives  were  rusted,  and  the  whole  pack- 
age in  poor  plight.  However,  our  povv'der  and  flour 
were  unhurt,  arid  that  was  a  subject  of  much  satisfaction. 

The  Indians  assisted  us  most  good-naturedly  in  spread- 
ing and  drying  all  our  "goods;"  and  I  do  not  believe 
we  lost  the  smallest  article,  ahhougli  hundreds  of  them 
were  standing  around.  We  made  a  great  feast  with  our 
wet  biscuit  and  a  pot  of  coffee,  and  gave  as  much  as  was 
in  our  power  among  the  Indians,  who  had  little  or  no 
food,  except  such  roots  as  they  could  pick  up.  Of  these, 
the  principal  was  an  esculent  root,  something  between  a 
potato  and  a  radish,  most  greedily  sought  by  the  Indians 
when  going  to  the  Buffalo  country  :  they  are  then  often 
reduced  to  a  slate  approaching  to  starvation  ;  and  I  have 
seen  these  roots  dug  out  two,  three,  and  even  four  miles 
from  the  regular  trail.  I  ate  them,  and  they  appear 
somewhat  nutritious  and  not  unpalatable,  but  under  any 
other  circuuistances  would  bethought  tasteless  and  diffi- 
cult of  digestion.  They  are  eaten  raw,  and  I  have  never 
seen  any  attempt  to  cook  them  among  the  Pawnees  ; 
but  they  are  said  to  be  tolerably  wholesome,,  as  well  as 
palatable,  when  boiled  or  roasted.  The  Canadian  French 
call  them  Pomme  blanche ;  "their  Pawnee  name  1  forget^ 


1S8  DEER-STALKING. 

but  in  the  Ojibbevvay  dialect  they  are  called  Metus-ko- 
slie-min.,  or  grass-berries  ;  and  their  botanical  appella- 
tion is,  I  believe,  Psoralea  esculenta.  Son:ie  of  the  Mis- 
souri tribes  call  them  Nu-ga-ie. 

^  No  game  had  been  seen  or  killed,  and  every  hour's 
experience  tended  lo  convince  me  of  the  exaggerated 
statements  wilh  which  many  Western  travellers  have 
misled  the  civilized  v^orld  in  regard  to  the  game  on  ihese 
prairies.  1  had  been  now  five  days  travelling  through 
them;  and  wilh  the  exception  of  a  few  grouse  and  the 
fawn  1  shot,  had  not  seen  anything  eatable,  either  bird 
or  quadruped. 

12ih  July. — The  weather  continued  rainy,  and  the  In- 
dians went  but  a  few  miles  ;  the  country  became  less 
rich  in  wood  and  in  vegetniion  of  every  kind,  the  only 
limber  that  we  found  being  along  the  creek  courses  ; 
and  the  prairie  was  no  longer  enlivened  by  the  flowers 
to  which  the  eye  had  become  accustomed.  I  went  out 
with  a  hunter  in  search  of  deer :  we  saw  one  doe  (elk) 
about  half  a  mile  distant,  and  I  allowed  my  red  friend 
to  take  the  lead  in  endeavouring  lo  get  a  shot,  in  which 
office  he  appeared  to  me  very  m.uch  inferior  to  our  high- 
land deer-sialkers  in  taking  advantage  of  wind  and  posi- 
tion of  ground,  although  he  would  have  proved  far  su- 
perior to  them  in  following  a  foot-track,  'i'he  doe  got 
sight  of  us,  and  made  off.  We  ran  her  about  two  miles, 
without  success,  and  gave  up  the  pursuit.  I  found  it 
no  joke  running  with  an  Indian  up  and  down  hill  in  grass 
three  feet  high,  now  and  then  mingled  with  tangled 
brushwood  and  shrubs.  His  wind  seemed  almost  as  in- 
exhaustible as  his  appetite,  and  running  quite  as  easy  to 
him  as  siitinor.  L  kept  up,  however,  without  giving  him  to 
understand  that  1  was  annoyed  by  the  heat,  and  cooled 
myself  now  and  then  by  wading  and  dabbling  in  the 
creek.  After  a  walk  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles,  during 
which  we  saw  no  more  deer,  we  returned  to  the  camp. 

The  following  morning  was  beautiful,  but  was  usher- 
ed in  by  a  misfortune,  which  would  be  lightly  thought 
of  by  those,  and  those  only — 

"  Wtio  live  at  home  at  ease, 

And  tittle  apt  to  ttiink  upon 
The  woes  of  the  prairies  ;" 


CROSS    THE    NIMAHAW.  189 

ihe  handle  of  my  fryingpan  was  broken  off  by  an  Indian, 
to  whom  I  had  lent  it,  and  our  bread,  parched  beans,  &c. 
must  ihenceforward  be  procured  at  the  lisk  of  burnt  fin- 
gers. I  could  not  evince  any  anger ;  for  all  the  savages 
were  most  obliging,  brought  us  wood  and  water,  helped 
to  pack  our  luggage,  and  during  the  heat  of  our  mid-day 
halt,  made  a  sort  of  branch-arbour  to  protect  us  from  the 
sun.* 

In  llie  evening,  we  pursued  our  route,  and  crossed  the 
Great  Nimahaw  river,  which  was  not  too  deep  to  ford-, 
although  it  immersed  part  of  the  little  mule's  pack. 
However,  we  had  a  solid  and  ample  supper;  as  a  party 
of  hunters,  who  had  been  all  day  employed  in  the  chase, 
had  brought  in  two  or  three  elk.  The  meat  was  good, 
but  not  so  high  flavoured  as  ordinary  venison. 

The  following  day  (the  14th)  was  intensely  hot,  and 
the  journey  dreary  and  wearisome.  Our  eyes  were  not 
gladdened  by  tlie  sight  of  any  edible  animal ;  the  only 
visible  creatures  being  larks,  black-birds, f  and  now  and 
then  a  hawk  or  buzzard.  After  dinner,  at  one  o'clock,  I 
started  off  with  a  party  of  hunters  in  search  of  elk;  the 
sun  was  burning  hot,  and  my  Indian  companions  walked 
very  fast  on  level  ground  and  up  the  hills,  while  in  every 
descent  they  indulged  themselves  with  a  run  or  long 
trot.  The  grass  was  up  to  our  middle — I  was  clothed 
and  they  were  naked — and  I  had  to  carry  my  solid 
double-barrelled  rifle,  weighing  at  least  twice  as  much  as 
their  light  fowling-pieces.:]:     It  may  easily  be  imagined 

*  I  afterwards  found  that  all  these  obliging  acts  of  kindness  were  per- 
formed with  the  expectation  of  a  [)roporti()nate  reward  ;  the  Pawnee 
French  interpreter  confessing  that  the  Indians  did  nothing  "sansdes- 
sein."  This  latter  word  was  used  by  him,  and  I  have  heard  it  used  by 
other  uninstructed  Canadian  French,  to  signify  almost  every  category 
in  the  moral  or  physical  world  :  it  often  signified  "  malice,"  "  design," 
"reward,"  "  good  sense,"  "  money,"  &c. 

t  These  prairie  black-birds  are  the  tamest  of  the  bird  creation  that  I 
have  seen  in  any  country,  exceeding  in  familiar  impudence  the  licensed 
intruder  on  the  breakfast-table  of  the  English  country-clergyman  in 
winter,  namely,  the  robin  redbreast.  They  r^t>eatedly  perched  upon 
the  back  of  the  buffalo,  and  of  our  horses,  saddled  or  unsaddled.  I 
have,  more  than  once,  seen  them  venture  upon  the  shoulder  of  a  man  ; 
and  the  young  Indian  boys  practise  their  early  archery  by  shooting  them 
ai  the  distance  of  two  or  three  yards. 

X  Sines  their  last  treaty  with  the  United  States,  the  Pawnees  reccivQ 


190  SEARCH    FOR  ELK. 

ihat  this  amusement  (with  the  thermometer  probably 
about  120°  in  the  sun)  was  rather  warm:  we  went  at 
least  ten  miles  before  we  found  the  nearest  timber,  wljich 
was  on  the  banks  of  the  Blue  river;  here  we  saw  an 
elk  grazing  about  half  a  mile  off.  I  must  not  forget 
to  make  honourable  mention  of  myself,  as  having  been 
the  first  to  discover  and  point  him  cut  to  the  Indians; 
and  again  I  had  to  remark  their  want  of  skill  in  hunting. 
We  had  crepi  to  within  three  hundred  yards  of  his  leed-- 
ing-place,  when  a  clumsy  fellow  showed  his  head  over  a 
neighbouring  hillock,  and  our  intended  victim  made  off, 
and  was  no  more  seen. 

We  then  moved  along  the  northern  bank  of  the  river 
for  many  miles,  but  saw  no  more  game  ;  at  length  we 
were  obliged  to  cross.  The  water  was  breast  high,  but 
not  very  rapid.  I  thought  thai,  being  once  wet,  I  might 
as  well  make  the  most  of  the  opportunity  ;  so  I  deposit- 
ed my  gun  and  ammunition  in  safely,  and  remained 
splashing  and  swimming  about  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
to  the  surprise  and  amusement  of  the  Indians.  After  a 
fruitless  walk  of  twenty  miles  or  more,  we  rejoined  the 
camp. 

The  15th  was  again  a  very  hot  day  ;  the  soil  became 
more  barren  as  we  advanced,  and  the  grass  much  short- 
er. The  country  resembled  very  much  some  of  the 
downs  in  the  southern  part  of  England.  We  travelled 
between  twenty-five  and  thirty  miles  without  finding 
water;  and,  owing  to  the  extreme  heat  and  our  forced 
marches,  one  of  my  horses  "  slopped  short,"  or  "  gave 
out,"  which  latter  is  the  current  word  in  the  West.  The 
good-natured  old  chief  (Sa-ni-isa-rish)  himself  remained 
behind,    and  with  difTiculty  led   on  the  wearied  animal, 

annually  a  certain  number  of  guns,  as  part  of  the  payment  for  the  land 
ceded  by  them  on  the  Kanzas  river.  These  guns  are  light  pieces  manu- 
factured at  Birmingham,  and  cost  about  five  or  six  dollars  each.  Some 
are  tolerably  good  ;  but  the  Pawnees  having  but  lately  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  use  of  fire-arms,  soon  destroy  them,  by  examinino.  firing 
off  powder,  overloading,  and  other  follies.  Some  they  gamble  away; 
and  all  that  they  do  not  either  lose  or  spoil,  they  exchanged  with  the 
Haitans  and  other  predatory  tribes  in  the  West  and  S  )uth  for  horses  ; 
so  that  when  the  pay-day  returns,  very  few  efficient  guns  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Pawnee  village. 


A   CHILL.  191 

and  thereby  did  not  reach  our  night-camp  till  an  hour 
after  we  had  finished  our  supper:  this  toilsome  and 
harassing  task  he  undertook  unasked,  and,  at  the  lime, 
unknown  to  me.  In  what  civiHzed  country  would  the 
courtesy  and  kindness  of  hospiiaHty  be  carried  to  a  high- 
er extent  ? 

I  was  obhged  to  sell  my  jaded  steed  for  the  loan  of  a 
horse  to  carry  his  pack,  tdl  we  should  reach  the  great 
body  of  Pawnees,  where  I  was  assured  I  should  find  no 
difiScully  in  obtaining  a  horse,  or  such  other  assistance 
as  I  might  require. 

Another  day  passed  without  any  remarkable  occur- 
rence, when  the  weather  changed,  and  we  were  favoured 
with  a  cold  stormy  rain,  which  lasted  all  nigtit,  and  wet- 
ted us  to  our  hearts'  content.  The  followuig  day  was 
again  intensely  hot,  in  spile  of  which  I  felt  a  continual 
chill,  wfiich  no  exercise  or  perspiration  could  remove 
for  twenty-four  hours.  I  began  to  think  that  T  was  to 
pay  the  penally  of  mv  loner  ramble  in  the  sun,  followed  by 
splashing  in  the  Blue  river,  and  then  sleeping  in  the  same 
clothes,  by  a  regular  attack  of  the  "chills  and  fever," 
alas  !  so  well  known  in  the  West.  I  had  no  medical 
advice;  but  a  day's  patience,  some  hot  tea,  and  a  good 
constitution,  brought  me  through,  and  I  had  no  return  of 
the  attack. 

We  continued  our  course,  which  was  now  west-south- 
west, till  we  struck  a  branch  of  the  Kanzas  river;  name- 
ly, its  northern  or,  commonly  called,  Renublican  Fork. 
This  is  one  of  the  principal  western  tributaries  of  the 
Misstmri  ;  its  course  is  genei-ally  east-south-east,  and  it^ 
mouth  is  seven  or  eight  miles  above  Independence,  and 
twenty-five  below  Fort  Leavenworth.  As  the  moving 
Pawnee  "  village"  was  obliged  also  to  cross  this  river, 
our  parly  followed  its  banks,  west-north-west,  in  order 
to  find  the  trail,  with  the  object  of  overtaking  them  as 
soon  as  possible  ;  this  w^as  the  more  desirable,  as  they 
had  maize  with  them,  and  we  had  nothing  but  what  we 
could  kill  by  ihe  way.  Our  journey  was  monotonous; 
the  country  dreary  and  barren,  both  of  animal  and  vege- 
table life  ;  our  horses  crawled  wearily  along,  and  we 
looked  in  vain  for  any  fresh  signs  of  late  travel  or  en- 
campment. >.. 


'jtr 


192  WEAR.Y    JOURNEY. 

For  two  or  three  days  we  continued  lliis  toilsome 
inarch ;  almost  all  the  horses'  backs  were  sore,  the 
wealher  oppressively  hot,  and  provisions  very  scarce. 
During  this  scarcity  of  provisions,  it  was  not  to  be  ex- 
pected thai  my  red  friends  should  be  very  scrupulous  as 
to  the  nature  of  their  food,  nor  as  to  the  means  employed 
in  procuring  it ;  accordingly,  they  conirived  to  entice  my 
poor  dog  Peevish  from  my  feet  while  I  was  asleep,  and 
I  am  convinced,  although  1  could  obtain  no  proof  of  the 
fact,  that  ihey  killed  and  ale  her.  When  I  awoke  and 
missed  her,  I  was  sure  that  she  had  been  disposed  of  in 
this  manner,  and  was  exceedingly  vexed  and  angry  ;  but 
I  was  obliged  to  dissemble,  and  pretend  a  belief  that  she 
had  strayed  :  any  demonstration  of  vexation  would  have 
lowered  me  in  the  estimation  of  the  Indians;  and  anger, 
unsupported  by  punisliment  (which  was  in  this  case  im- 
possible) would  have  made  me  "ridiculous." 

My  two  atlendanis  wished  most  heartily  to  return  to 
the  fort,  but  I  determined  to  '"'go  a-head  ;^^  and  more- 
over, to  keep  the  bag  of  flour  for  subsequent  emergen- 
cies. We  saw  no  game  whatever,  every  animal  hav- 
ing beei.  killed  or  driven  off  by  the  Pa\Anees,  Kickapoos, 
and  other  nations,  who  had  preceded  us.  W^e  found 
the  Indian  regulations  for  travelling  very  fatiguing  ; 
namely,  starling  at  four  a.  m.,  wiih  nothing  to  eat,  and 
travel hng  till  one,  when  we  hailed  for  breakfast  and  din- 
ner at  one  time.  Most  of  us  were  obliged  towalk  nearly 
all  day,  owing  to  the  state  of  the  horses'  backs;  and  on 
the  20th  we  travelled  from  half-past  three  in  the  morning 
till  half  past  eight  in  the  evening.  I  heard  sundry  com- 
plaints and  wishes  for  return  on  the  part  of  our  aitend- 
ants,  but  was  conveniently  deaf  and  obstinate.  In  truth, 
our  silualion  was  not  very  pleasant ;  my  provisions  were 
not  more  than  sufficieni  for  one  meal  for  ihe  whole  par- 
ty, and  there  was  nothing  eatable  to  be  found  except  tfie 
miserable  roots  beforemeniioned.  However,  from  the 
recen  imarks  which  we  found  in  several  encampments, 
we  knew  that  the  Pawnee  nation  could  not  be  very  far 
a-head,  and  the  hope  of  soon  overtaking  them  gave  a  zest 
to  our  exertions,  which  made  us  press  the  horses  almost 
beyond  the  limiis  of  humanity. 


JOIN    THE    REAR-GUARD.  193 

A  runner  had  been  sent  forward  to  request  the  chiefs 
to  make  a  short  hah  in  order  to  give  our  parly  lime  to 
come  up.  This  Indian  had  walked  at  the  head  of  the 
party  as  guide  during  the  wliole  day's  journey,  which 
occupied  (as  abovemenlioned)  nearly  iweniy  hours  ; 
when  we  hahed,  Sa-ni  tsa-rish  went  up  to  him  and  spoke 
a  few  words,  upon  wliich,  without  rest  or  food,  he  light- 
ened ihe  belt  round  his  middle  and  set  off  at  a  run,  which 
he  must  have  mainiained  for  upwards  of  twenty  miles  ; 
he  had  to  traverse  the  same  ground  in  coming  back,  and 
thus  (reckoning  our  progress  on  a  forced  march  at  only 
three  miles  an  hour)  he  must  have  gone  over  one  hun- 
dred miles  of  ground  without  food  or  rest  in  twenty-four 
hours.  At  length  he  returned,  bringing  with  him  the  wel- 
come intelligence  that  w^e  were  not  more  than  twenty 
miles  behind,  and  the  no  less  welcome  accompaniment  of 
a  bag  of  maize,  made  into  a  kind  of  cold  porridge  :  this 
was,  indeed,  a  treat,  and  appeared  lo  me  as  excellent  a 
dish  as  ever  I  tasted  ;  under  ordinary  circumstances,  it 
would  not  have  been  thought  very  temptmg.  Again  we 
pushec  forward,  and  in  about  six  hours  came  up  wiih  the 
rear-guard,  among  whom  were  the  great  chief  of  the 
Grand  Pawnees,  the  great  chief  of  the  Tapages  Paw^ 
rees,  and  the  great  chief  of  the  Republicans,  called  by 
the  French  Capof-bleu* 

A  circle  was  made,  consisting  of  all  the  chiefs,  wheR 
we  were  formally  introduced  by  the  interpreter,  shook 
hand^]  with  them  all,  and  were  presented  with  the  pipe 
of  hospitality.  I  remarked  the  wonderful  self-posses- 
sion of  tliese  men,  who  are  in  fact  the  most  curious  and 
inquisitive  in  the  world  ;  and  yet,  on  the  return  of  their 
party  from  the   settlements,  laden  with  all   the  articles 

*  In  a  camp-march,  the  principal  chief  generally  remains  on  the  en- 
campmeot  till  all  the  rest  have  moved  off;  partly  to  see  that  nothing  is 
left  or  lust,  partly  to  take  care  that  none  of  his  party  stay  or  loiter,  and 
chiefly  to  see  that  the  rear-cruard  do  their  duty,  as  it  is  from  that  quartet 
that  their  enemies  generally  attack  them.  At  this  time  the  Pawnees 
were  upon  hostile  terms  with  the  Shiennes  and  Ricaras,  and  bands 
of  both  these  tribes  were  hunting  at  no  great  distance. 

•f  It  is  needless  to  mention  that  they  learn  this  from  whites,  and  prac- 
tise it  only  towards  whites. 

Vol.  I.— R 


194  FRIENDLY  RECEPTION. 

which  ihey  prize  most  highly,  not  the  slightest  expres- 
sion of  surprise,  pleasure,  or  inlerest  is  apparent ;  brother 
niet  brother,  and  father  met  son,  with  tlie  well  known 
short  and  sinjple  universal  Indian  greeting,  which  no 
language  can  give  in  writing,*  and  no  observer  could 
have  known  that  their  absence  had  been  of  two  days' 
duration. 

In  return  for  their  friendly  reception,  and  in  consum- 
mation of  ihe  alliance,  J  gave  them  a  weak  glass  of 
brandy  and  water  all  round  ;  thev  seemed  quite  pleased, 
though  I  could  not  help  thinking  what  a  wry  face  Jack, 

on  board  H.  M.  S. ,  would  have  made,  if  the  said 

ten-waier  grog  hid  been  served  out  to  him  in  a  cup  hold- 
ing less  than  a  quarter  of  a  pint.  It  is  so  well  known, 
that  as  soon  as  any  Indian  tribe  becomes  accustomed  to 
whiskey,  iheir  speedy  and  total  degradation  in  every 
physical  and  moral  quality  is  a  sure  consequence,  that 
the  United  Slates  have  very  properly  forbidden  all  their 
troops  and  traders  to  sell  them  spiriious  liquors  under  a 
heavy  penalty  ;  in  spite  of  this  law,  however,  a  great 
quantity  of  whiskey  finds  its  way  to  those  Indians  who 
have  much  commerce  with  the  whites  ;  the  temptation 
is  too  strong  for  the  traders,  many  of  whom  are  Canadian 
French,  and  men  witliout  either  principle  or  education  ; 
they  frequently  get  opportunities  of  selling  a  pint  of 
spirits  for  fifty  or  a  hundred  times  its  value  in  beaver 
and  other  skins;  tlie  craving  of  the  savages  increases  in 
proportion  to  their  acquaintance  with  this  faial  liquor, 
and  'hey  will  part  wiih  anything  they  have  for  a  dram. 

I  found  that  very  few  of  the  F^awnees  had  ever  tasted 
whiskey,  and  still  fewer  expressed  any  strong  desire  or 
liking  for  it;  I,  therefore,  felt  it  mv  duty,  both  towards 
myself  and  the  authorities  of  the  United  Stales,  under 
whose  protection  I  was  making  ujy  tour,  not  to  be  in  the 
smallest  degree  instrumental  in  giving  the  Pawnees  a 
relish  for  a  liquor  which  becomes  in  their  hands  no- 
thing less  tlian  a  poison.     Accordingly,  whenever  I  gave 

*  The  nearest  legitile  approach  to  this  exclamation  is  the  common 
English  word  *'  How,"  only  uttered  with  a  strong  afipirate.  and  in  a 
tone  resembling  as  much  as  possible  a  grunt. 


INDIAN  VILLAGE.  195 

a  brandy  and  water  draucrht  to  any  of  the  chiefs,  which 
I  did  very  rarely,  I  took  care  to  make  it  so  exirenriely 
weak  ihat  the  spirit  couki  scarcely  be  tasted,  and  they 
were  sufficiently  pleased  with  the  honour  of  drinking  the 
white  man's  liquor. 

It  was  not  a  little  amusing  to  see  how  readily  the  Paw- 
nee-French interpreter  entered  into  my  views  on  this 
subject.  I  once  or  twice  lent  him  my  small  pocket 
flask,  and  allowed  him  to  serve  out  the  weak  toddy  to 
the  chiefs;  he  talked  most  gravely  of  the  pernicious  ef- 
fects of  spirits  among  "  les  suava:j;es"  carefully  mixed 
for  them  at  least  nine  proportions  of  water  for  one  of 
brandy,  and,  then,  with  equal  gravity,  helped  himself  to  a 
dram,  in  which  he  exactly  reversed  the  aforesaid  propor- 
tions. 

As  soon  as  this  introductory  feast  was  concluded,  we 
accompanied  the  chiefs  to  the  village,  which  was  about 
twelve  miles  a-head  of  us;  at  length  we  came  in  sight 
of  it,  and  a  more  interesting  or  picturesque  scene  I  never 
beheld.  Upon  an  extensive  prairie  gently  sloping  down 
to  a  creek,  the  winding  course  of  which  was  marked  by 
a  broken  line  of  wood  here  and  there  interspersed  with 
a  fine  clump  of  trees,  were  about  five  thousand  savages, 
inclusive  of  women  and  children  ;  some  were  sitting 
under  their  buffalo-skin  lodges  lazily  smoking  their 
pipes  ;  while  the  women  were  stooping  over  their  fires 
busily  employed  in  preparing  meat  and  maize  for  these 
indolent  lords  of  the  creation.  Far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  were  scattered  herds  of  horses,  watched  (or  as  we 
would  say  in  Scotland,  "  tented  ")  by  urchins,  whose 
whole  dress  and  equipment  was  the  slight  bow  and  arrow, 
with  which  they  exercised  their  infant  archery  upon  the 
heads  of  the  taller  flowers,  or  upon  any  luckless  black- 
bird perched  near  them.  Here  and  iheie  might  be  seen 
some  gay  young  warrior  ambling  along  the  heights,  his 
painted  form  partially  exposed  to  view  as  his  bright 
scarlet  blanket  waved  in  the  breeze;  while  his  small 
fretful  horse  was  scarcely  to  be  recognized  under  the 
variety  of  trappings  with  which  the  vanity  of  his  rider 
had  tricked  him  out ;  near  him  might  be  seen  another 
naked  savage,  without  a  saddle,  and  his  only  bridle  a 


196  THE  CHIEF  AND  HIS  FA  MILT. 

thong  round  the  horse's  head,  galloping  at  full  speed,  anj 
waving  in  his  extended  right  hand  a  "laiyeile,"  with 
which  he  was  chasing  some  refractory  mule  or  runaway 
steed,  that  had  escaped  from  his  gang  :  while  the  banks 
of  the  stream  were  alive  with  the  garrulous  voices  of 
women,  some  washing  themselves,  their  clothes,  or  their 
infants,  others  carrying  water  to  the  camp,  and  others 
bearing  on  their  backs  a  load  of  wood,,  the  portage  of 
which  no  London  coal-heaver  would  have  envied  them. 
Our  approach  excited  some  curiosity  and  interest. 
The  families  of  those  who  had  been  to  the  fort  placed 
theniselves  in  or  near  our  path  ;  and  as  the  husband, 
father,  or  brother,  came  near,  the  little  kindred  group 
would  withdraw  to  a  retired  spot  and  indulge  those  feel- 
ings of  curiosity  and  affection,  which  nature  has  iuiplant- 
ed  as  strongly  in  the  bosom  of  the  savage  as  of  the 
civilized  man.  I  regaided  with  much  pleasure  the 
sneeii ng  of  my  old  chief,*  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  with  his  wives 
and  children,  which  took  place  under  a  knot  of  fine  trees, 
a  little  to  the  right  of  our  path.  I  could  read  in  the 
glistening  eyes  of  the  women,  and  in  the  glad  laces  of 
the  children,  that  the  old  man  was  a  kind  husband  and 
father;  and,  if  the  features  of  the  parties  had  not  been 
so  totally  devoid  of  anything  like  beauty,  the  family-pic- 
ture would  have  been  as  picturesque  as  it  was  interest- 
ing. The  old  chief  himself  is  one  of  the  finest-looking 
men  of  his  tribe,  but  his  wives  v^'ere  extremely  plain, 
and  very  slovenly  and  dirty  in  their  appearance  ;  while 
the  poor  little  children,  besides  their  equally  distant 
claims  to  cleanliness,  were  suffering  under  the  small-pox 
and  hooping-cough  ;  nevertheless,  as  he  stood  among 
them,  and  gave  to  one  a  few  beads,  to  another  a  ribbon, 
and  exhibited  to  them  vaiious  trifles  brought  from  the 
white  man's  dwelling,  I  would  not  envy  the  heart  of  any 
man  who  could  have  looked  upon  the  little  group  with 
any  other  feelings  than  those  of  pleasure  and  interest.     I 

*  As  the  lodge,  or  tent,  of  the  chiefs  was  not  large  enough  to  admit 
OS  all  into  one,  it  was  ayreed  on  the  road  that,  during  our  slay  at  the 
village,   I    and   my  servant    should    remain    with   Sa-ni-tsa-rish  ;   while 

V and    the    other  attendant  should  be  the    guests  of  Pc-le-re-sha„ 

one  of  the  chiefs  of  the   Grand  Pawnees,   and  the   eldest  son  of  th@ 
great  chief. 


BUFFALO    MEAT.  197 

soon  began  to  play  with  the  children,  and,  though  my 
first  advances  were  received  vvitli  the  utmost  shyness  and 
alarm,*  they  summoned  courage  at  length  to  examine  my 
buttons,  my  pisiols,  ^nd  other  articles  new  to  them,  and 
ere  long  our  acquaintance  was  established  upon  a  footing 
approaching  to  confidence. 

As  soon  as  our  arrival  was  known  in  the  village,  we 
were  invited  to  six  or  seven  feasts  in  succession;  and 
here  we  lasted  buffalo  meat  for  the  first  time.  No  cows 
had  yet  been  seen,  and  the  bull-beef  was  as  hard,  tough, 
and  stringy  (besides  being  only  quarter  dressed)  as  ever 
it  fell  to  the  lot  of  human  jaw  to  masticate.  In  vain 
misht  a  set  of  the  finest  civilized  teeih  that  were  ever 
fostered  by  the  care  of  Messrs.  Dumergue  and  Cart- 
wright,  endeavour  to  separate  the  indissoluble  fibres  ; 
the  vain  attempt  is  soon  given  up  in  despair,  and  the  un- 
broken mass  is  submitted  to  the  gastric  juice,  which 
fortunately  asserts  and  proves  the  inexhaustible  resources 
of  nature,  by  disposing,  without  inconveruence,  of  that 
which  proved  too  strong  an  opponent  for  ivory  !  Of 
course  tliis  must  not  be  taken  as  a  fair  representation  of 
buffalo  meat  in  general ;  because  the  ribs,  and  the  back, 
especially  the  hump,  are,  if  properly  dressed,  as  sweet, 
lender,  and  delicious  beef  as  the  most  delicate  epicure 
could  desire  ;  and  both  the  fat  and  marrow  are  certainly 
finer  than  those  of  any  domestic  cattle  ;  but  that  it  is  a 

*  Nature  appears  to  have  divided  the  white  from  the  red  man  by  a 
species  of  antipathy  scarcely  reconcilable  with  the  benignity  and  sym- 
pathies which  are  usually  found  in  her  provisions.  An  Indian  infaat 
cannot  endure  the  approach  or  sight  of  a  white  man,  neither  can  the  in- 
fant of  a  white  look  without  terror  upon  an  Indian.  In  walking  quietly 
through  the  Pawnee  camp,  I  have  often  found  myself  the  innocent 
cause  of  the  cries  and  screams  of  at  least  twenty  of  these  little  alarm- 
.jsts,  though  I  may  not  have  passed  nearer  than  thirty  yards  from  some 
of  them.  Nor  is  this  most  strongly-marked  aversion  confined  to  the 
human  race  :  Indian  horses  cannot  bear  the  smell  of  a  white  man.  I 
have  repeatedly  seen  them,  when  standing  quietly  by  their  owner,  prick 
up  their  ears  and  snort  at  my  af)proach,  and  no  coaxing  would  induce 
them  to  let  me  come  near  or  touch  their  bridle.  Nor  was  I  more  ap- 
proved of  by  the  dogs,  for  whenever  I  or  my  companion  walked  about 
the  village,  we  had  a  retinue  of  these  curs  barking  and  snarling  at  our 
heels;  and  if  they  had  not  fortunately  been  as  cowardly  as  they  were 
noisy,  we  might  have  experienced  serious  inconvenience  from  their 
persecution. 


198  ORDER  OF  MARCH. 

fair  and  unexaagerated  picture  of  buffalo  bull  meat,  as 
dressed  (or  rather  undressed)  by  ilie  Pawnees^  I  do  ntiost 
positively  asseit.* 

On  arriving  before  Sa-ni-tsa-rish's  lodge,  which  was 
destined  to  be  my  abode  for  many  weeks,  I  naturally 
cast  my  eyes  around  to  observe  its  construction  and  ar- 
rangements. I'he  result  may  be  giverv  in  a  few  words, 
but  the  description  will  be  more  satisfactory  and  more 
easily  comprehended  if  it  embraces  the  pitching  of  the 
Pawnee  lent,  or  "  lodge,"  as  it  is  usually  termed  in  the 
West. 

On  reaching  the  camping-place,  which  is  selected  by 
the  grai-d  chief  (or,  in  his  absence,  by  the  next  in  rank)^ 
the  senior  squaw  chooses  the  spot  most  agreeable  to  her 
fancy,  and  orders  the  younger  women  and  children,  who 
lead  ilie  pack-horses  and  mules  (generally  from  five  to 
ten  in  number,  according  lo  the  size  or  wealth  of  the 
family),  to  hall  ;  but  in  making  this  choice  of  ground, 
she  IS  restricted  within  certain  hmits,  and  those  of  no 
great  exient,  as  the  Pawnees  observe  great  regularity 
botli  in  iheir  line  of  march  and  encampment.  J  could 
not  ascertain  whether  these  regulations  were  invariable, 
or  made  at  the  pleasure  of  the  chief;  but  I  believe  the 
latter;  and  that  on  leaving  their  winter,  or  stationary, 
villages,  be  issues  the  general  orders  on  this  subject, 
which  are  observed  during  the  season  or  the  expedition  ; 
at  any  rate,  tliey  never  varied  during  my  stay  among 
them. 

They  move  in  three  parallel  bodies  ;  the  left  wing 
consisting  of  part  of  the  Grand  Pawnees  and  the  Tapages; 
the  centre  of  the  remaining  Grand  Pawnees  ;  and  the 
right  of  the  Republicans,  ft  is  needless  to  say  that  these 
names  of  tiie  different  Pawnee  tribes  are  given  by  the 
French  iradersaccording  to  their  absurd  fancies  ;^  but  the 
Indian  appellations  by  which  the  Tapages  (Republigues)^ 

^  I  beg  here  to  remind  the  reader  once  for  all,  that  the  animal  called 
throughout  this  expedition  the  Bjiffalo,  is,  properly  speakinw,  the  Bison 
(Bos  Taurus) ;  but  I  retain  the  incorrect  appellative,  because  it  is  gene- 
rally and  familiarly  so  employed  in  Norlh  America.  In  strict  language, 
the  Buffalo  is  the  B  )s  Babylus,  the  horns  of  which  animal  are  turned 
backward  behind  its  head  :  it  is  too  well  known  in  Italy  and  other 
countries  to  require  farther  description. 


ORDER  OF  MARCH.  199 

(Sec,  are  known,  could  convey  no  idea  of  distinction,  and 
consequently  I  shall  adhere  to  tliose  bv  vvliich  they  are 
known  through  ihe  Missouri  country.  For  the  infi)nna- 
tion  of  curious  phdologists  I  will,  however,  add,  ihni  in 
the  Pawnee  language,  tlie  Grand  Pawnees  are  called 
Tsa-we ;  ihe  Republican  band,  Tskit-ka-kish  ;  the  Ta- 
page  band,  Pe-tovve-ra  ;  and  the  Loups,  or  Pawnee- 
Mahas  (who  parted  from  us  when  we  crossed  the  Re- 
publican Fork),  are  called  Ske-re.* 

All  these  bodies  move  m  "  Indian  file,"  though  of 
course  in  ihe  mingled  mass  of  men,  women,  children, 
afid  pack-horses,  it  was  not  very  regularly  observed  ; 
nevertheless,  on  arriving  at  the  haltmg-place,  the  parly  to 
wdiich  1  belonged  mvariably  camped  at  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  the  village,  ihe  great  chief  in  the  centre,  and 
the  Repiibliques  on  the  western  side  ;  and  this  arrange- 
ment was  kept  so  well,  that,  after  [  had  been  a  few  days 
with  them,  after  1  had  been  a  few  days  with  them,  I 
could  generally  find  our  lodge  in  a  new  encampment 
with  very  little  trouble,  although  the  village  consisted  of 
about  six  hundred  of  them,  all  nearly  similar  in  appear- 
ance. 

Now,  to  return  to' our  squaws,  whom  we  left  in  the  act 
of  preparing  to  pitch  the  lent.  They  first  unpack  and  un- 
saddle the  horses,  which  are  given  to  a  boy  to  drive  off  to 
their  grass  and  water:  they  then  arrange  all  their  bales, 
saddles,  &c.,  in  a  semicircular  form,  and  pile  them  from 
two  to  three  feel  high.  Around  tlie  exterior  of  these ' 
they  drive  into  the  ground  eight  or  ten  curved  willow 
rods,  from  two  to  three  feet  distant  from  each  other,  but 
all  firmly  bound  by  leaiher  ihongs  to  four  large  upright 
poles,  that  form  the  front  of  the  lodaje,  and  along  which 
run  transverse  willow  rods,  to  which  the  extremities  of 
the  curved  ones  are  fastened.  When  the  frame,  or  ske- 
leton, is  thus  finished,  they  stretch  the  cover  (made  of 
buffalo  hides,  sewed  together)  light  over  the  whole, 
leaving  an  aperture  for  entrance  and  egress  in  the  cen-- 

*  Once  for  all  T  beg  the  reader  to  remember  that,  in  endeavonrina  to 
convey  Indian  words  in  writina,  the  vowels,  cccents,  &c,  which  I 
employ  are  those  of  the  French  language,  as  they  can  be  made  more, 
nearly  to  resemule  the  Indian  pronunciation  than  the  Englisli.. 


SOO  ARMORIAL    BEARINGS. 

tre  of  the  front ;  and  in   fine  weather,   the  whole   front 
open. 

This  an  accurate  description  of  a  Pawnee  summer- 
lodge  ;  but,  of  course,  the  (Jimensions  vary  according  to 
the  number  and  weahh  of  the  famihes  residing  therein: 
in  some  tents  I  have  observed  the  front  consisting  of  six 
or  eight  upright  poles,  to  which  were  fixed  more  skins 
for  additional  shelter  or  shade.  On  the  grass,  in  the  in- 
terior, are  spread  mats,  made  by  the  squaws  from  reeds, 
and  skins  of  buffalo  or  bear. 

From  ihe  foregoing  it  will  be  easily  understood  that  the 
bales  of  cloth,  maize,  skins,  and  whatever  other  property 
they  possess,  form  the  back  of  the  tent.  Each  occupant, 
from  the  chief  to  the  lowest  in  rank,  has  his  assigned 
place  ;  sleeps  upon  his  own  blanket,  or  buffalo  robe  ; 
has  his  bow  and  quiver  suspended  over  his  head  ;  his 
saddle,  bridle,  and  laryeiies,  &c.,  behind  his  back  :  and 
thus  little  confusion  prevails,  althouijh  each  individual 
has  only  just  room  to  sit  or  lie  at  full  length. 

Before  the  lent  a  kind  of  shield  is  raised,  upon  three 
poles  pyramidically  placed,  on  which  is  the  device  of 
the  chief,  by  which  his  tent  is  to  be  recognized.  Let 
not  the  Heralds'  College  imagine  that  the  use  of  "armo- 
rial bearings  "  is  confined  to  the  descendants  of  Norman 
barons,  or  of  European  or  Moorish  chivalry  !  The  Gael 
of  the  highlands  of  Scotland  is  as  proud  of  his  clan-sprig 
of  heather,  holly,  or  juniper;  and  the  Pawnee  of  his 
beaver-skin,  bunch  of  feathers,  or  quiver,  shield-device,  as 
the  Douglas  of  his  bleeding  heart,  or  the  Percy  and  Tal- 
bot of  their  threatening  monarch  of  the  woods.  How 
often  are  we  brought  thus  to  bow  before  the  throne  of 
Nature  !  and  the  proudest  and  most  polished  of  her  chil- 
dren are  made  to  acknowledge  and  feel  their  affinity  to 
the  most  savage  and  unenlightened,  by  the  wants,  the 
desires,  the  failings,  and  vanities,  which  are  common  to 
them  all. 

In  the  interior  of  the  tent,  and  generally  about  the 
centre  of  its  concave,  is  suspended  the  "  medicine," 
which  is  most  carefully  and  religiously  preserved.  If  this 
Word  *'  medicine  "  (as  it  is  used  by  the  French  and  In- 
dian traders,  with  all  the  western  and  southern  Indians,)  is^ 


MEDICINE.  201 

only  half  as  va^ne,  unsatisfactory,  and  mysterious  to  any 
luckless  wi^ht,  whose  evil  genius  has  imposed  upon  him 
the  task  of  reading  these  pages,  as  it  is  to  me,  (and  I 
might  add  to  the  Indians  themselves,)  let  him  not  liope 
to  find  any  farther  elucidaiion  of  the  riddle,  nor  attempt 
to  fathom  this  verbal  and  ideal  chaos.  Under il-e  head 
of  "medicine,"  the  Indians  comprise  not  only  its  own 
healing  department,  but  everything  connected  with  reli- 
gion or  superstition  ;  all  omens,  all  relics,  and  everything 
extraordinary  or  supernatural.  Thus,  in  one  Indian  lan- 
guage, the  Deity  is  called  ihe  "  Big-Medicine-Man  ;"  the 
horse  (which  animal  was  once  aa  object  of  iheir  terror 
and  astonishment,  vide  "  Conquest  of  Florida,"  &c.),  the 
"medicine-quadruped;"  and  in  another,  a  gun  is  called  a 
"  medicine-weapon."  Amoncr  the  Pawnees,  the  priests 
and  doctors,  and  all  the  medicine  department,  have  their 
respective  offices  and  tents.  Part  of  the  buffalo  meat  is 
always  set  apart  for  the  medicine  (theoretically,  to  be 
consecrated  to  the  Great  Spirit ;  practically,  to  be  eaten 
up  by  these  charlatans,  like  Baal's  priests  of  old.)  Then 
there  are  medicine-flags,  medicine-pipes,  medicine-robes, 
medicine-ceremonies ;  and,  lastly,  the  medicine-bag, 
wherein  are  contained  arrows-heads,  with  w^hich  their  fa- 
thers have  killed  a  foe,  scalps,  and  any  other  similarly- 
precious  ancestral  relics.* 

In  this  tent  I  now  established  myself,  spread  my  bear- 
skin, hung  up  my  rifle  ;  and,  with  my  saddlebaus  for  a 
pillow,  prepared  for  the  "  coming  on  of  grateful  eve- 
ning mild."  It  is  not  easy,  in  a  situation  so  curious 
and  strange,  to  court  "  tired  nature's  sweet  restorer." 
Moreover,  I  found  that  among  the  Pawnees,  Silence  was 
not  among  the  Goddesses  of  the  night, — imprimis,  the 
two  children  in  the  tent  were  extremely  ill  with  the 
hooping-cough  ;  besides  which,  they  were  very  ill-tem- 
pered, and  both  completely  spoiled  ;  so  that  sometimes 
they  were  uttering  the  groans  and  cries  of  real  suffering, 
at  others,  would  scream  with  the  utmost  power  of  their 
lungs,   till  their  mother  rose,   and   gave  them  anything 

*  For  farther  information  regarding  the  "  medicine,"  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  Appendix. 


202  DOGS. 

they  might  fancy.  In  the  second  place,  the  loquacity  of 
the  ladies  knew  no  bounds;  and  ihey  seemed  determined 
to  indemnify  themselves  for  the  temporary  silence  which 
the  labours  of  the  day  imposed  upon  them.  My  ear  was 
just  becoming  accustomed  to  ihese  shrill  and  varied  vi- 
brations of  the  human  tongue,  and  1  was  just  about  to  fall 
asleep,  when  I  was  aroused  by  a  distant  howl,  as  I  thought, 
of  a  wolf.  It  came  on  nearer  and  nearer,  and  louder  and 
louder,  till  at  length  ihe  wild,  tumultuous,  and  many-min- 
gled cry  swelled  into  such  a  volume  of  sound  asit  is  impos- 
sible to  describe,  and  if  I  could  describe  it,  I  could  scarcely 
expect  it  to  obtain  credence.  But  first,  let  any  doubter 
recall  to  mind  some  night  when  he  may  have  been  sleep- 
less and  feverish, — perhaps  a  chained  watch-dog  began 
to  "  bay  the  moon,"  and  perhaps  some  canine  neiglibours 
caught  up  and  prolonged  the  strain, — and  he  may  re- 
member the  musical  effect  produced  by  this  serenade  ! 
Now  let  me  inform  him,  that  in  our  village  there  were 
more  than  six  hundred  tents,  and  that  each  tent  owned, 
upon  an  average,  seven  dogs,  so  that  there  were  upwards 
of  four  thousand  dogs  in  the  encampment,  all  of  them 
mongrels  and  curs,  very  slightly  differing  from  the  wolf 
in  appearance,  and  scarcely  at  all  in  voice.  In  this 
nightly  howl  they  all  join  (at  least,  of  all  those  round  our 
tent,  I  could  not  see  one  exception  :  )  and,  having  now 
faithfully  described  the  cause,  it  is  needless  to  sugoest, 
even  to  the  most  sluggish  imagination,  the  grand  elfect 
of  a  dog-chorus,  at  midnight,  in  the  Pawnee  village  !. 


LAVATORY    IN    THE    PRAIRIE.  203 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Lavatory  in  the  Prairie. — Picturesque  Scene. — A  '<  Brave." — Quarrel 
with  him. — Desolate  Prairie. — Prairie  Doys— Owls  and  Rattlesnakes. 
—  First  View  of  Buflalo.  —  Chase  of  Buffalo. —  Indian  Butchery. — 
Horses  stolen  by  the  Ricaras. — Indian  Method  of  Horse-stealing. — 
Discussion  as  to  the  expediency  of  making  Reprisals.— 'Present  of  a 
ButTaloRobe. — Indian  Character. — A  Feast. — Indian  Curiosity. 

Not  being  yet  thoroughly  drilled  to  a  prairie  life,  I 
had  not  learned  to  consider  cleanliness  as  a  useless  and 
superogatory  lii.xury  ;  and,  accordingly,  after  sleeping  in 
my  clothes,  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  too  dirty  to  depict, 
where  we  were  as  closely  packed  as  the  horses  in  a 
stage-coach  stable,  I  was  weak  enough  to  imagine  that 
it  was  desirable  to  wash  my  hand*?  and  face,  and  change 
my  linen.  ISuch  notions  being  quite  exploded  among 
experienced  travellers,  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  own 
them  ;  but  candour  demands  the  sacrifice,  and  I  trust  my 
brother  prairie-men  will  remember  that  prejtidice  once 
acknowledged,  is  more  than  half  overcome.  According- 
ly, I  armed  myself  with  a  towel,  some  soap,  a  tooth- 
brush, and  a  clean  shirt,  and  sallied  forth  in  search  of 
the  creek,  the  banks  of  which  were  to  be  my  dressing- 
room  on  the  occasion. 

I  found  It  to  be  a  muddy  streamlet,  from  four  to  eight 
inches  deep,  having  neither  brushwood  nor  timber  to 
mark  its  course.  It  was  completely  alive  with  animal 
industry,  which  seemed  all  exercised  in  endeavouring  to 
make  it  more  and  more  turbid  and  muddy.  Women 
washing  their  children  and  their  blankets  ;  boys  and  girls 
splashing  ;  dogs  swimming,  and  horses  tramping  in 
every  direction. 

As  this  did  not  seem  a  favourable  spot  for  the  bath 
and  toilet  of  one  who  can  boast  of  having,  in  his 
day,  made  a  respectable  appearance  in  Bond-street,  I 
walked  above  a  mile  up  the  litile  stream,  in  hopes  of 
finding  a  place  less  pre-occupied  by  my  biped  and  quad- 


204  PICTURESQUE    SCENE. 

ruped  competitors  in  ablution.  Finding  this  attempt 
fruitless,  and  seeing  that  the  "  ladies  "  were  not  at  all 
afraid  o(  me,  I  determined  notto  evince  le^s  courage  ;  and 
putting  my  watch,  my  knife,  my  maiivaise  Jarnte,  and 
other  trifles  in  my  pocket,  proceeded  quietly  to  undress; 
and  liaving  bathed  foi  a  few  minutes,  proceeded  with  my 
toilet.  I  ought  to  mention  that  I  effected  this  bath  by 
lying  down  and  rolling  where  the  water  w-as  about  nine 
inches  deep.  I  was  about  half  dressed  before  I  experi- 
enced any  positive  interruption,  when  two  or  three  Indians 
came  up,  and  began  to  examine  every  article  of  my  toilet 
with  the  greatest  curiosity.  They  could  not  make  out 
the  use  of  the  tooth-biush  ;  and  when  I  explained  to  them 
that  it  was  to  "  sharpen  the  teeth,''^  they  expressed  their 
wonder  by  the  well-known  "  Ugh  !"  Tljey  were  equaily 
at  a  loss  to  make  out  the  use  of  the  soap*  and  other 
things,  which  they  took  out  of  my  pocket.  At  length  I 
got  so  tired  of  their  handling  my  clothes,  that  1  forbade 
them  to  do  so  any  more,  and  ihey  desisted. 

On  my  return  to  the  camp  1  found  all  the  lodges  struck, 
the  horses  packed,  and  everything  leady  for  marching. 
My  worthy  host  iiad  desired  his  women  to  pack  the 
greater  part  of  my  baggage;  I  had  obtained  the  loan  of 
a  horse,  and  thus  I  was  enabled  to  give  a  day's  rest  to 
my  jaded  steeds.  I  watched  tliis  great  moving  body  of 
savages  as  they  left  the  rising  ground  on  wliich  we  iiad 
been  encamped,  and  deployed  on  the  plain  into  the  three 
irregular  straggling  columns  which  foimed  their  line  of 
match.  The  scene  v^'as  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  and 
was  every  minute  diversified  by  amusing  or  interesting 
incidents.  In  the  spaces  between  the  columns  rode  the 
chiefs  and  the  younger  warriors,  decked  out  in  all  their 


*  This  word  reminds  me  of  the  mischievous  trick  played  by  our 
your>e  American  lad,  who  was  one  day  washinjr  with  some  strong  coarse 
soaj).  v\hen  an  Indian  came  up,  complaining  of  very  sore  eyes,  and  asked 
him  if  the  soap  was  good  for  them.  He  said  it  was  very  good,  and 
showed  him  by  signs  that  he  should  rub  it  well  in  below  the  lids,  which 
the  Indian  accordingly  did;  of  course  the  pain  and  smartmg  were  ex- 
treme, and  he  jumped  about  apparently  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  re- 
meay.  liowever,  it  made  his  eyes  water  very  much  for  ten  minules, 
afterward  relieved  the  inflammation;  and  he  returned  to  his  frien4» 
praise  the  great  skill  of  the  Salicks-t^-k^  (white  man.) 


A    "BRAVE.  205 

gayest  habiliments,  with  white,  blue,  or  scarlet  blankets, 
and  making  iheir  fidgety  liitle  horses  prance  and  curvet 
to  show  the  rider's  horsemanship. 

Near  ihem  was  a  dignified-looking  "  Brave,"  ambling 
slowly  along;  his  only  ornament  the  much-envied  collar 
made  from  the  claws  of  the  formidable  grisly  bear.  Here 
and  there  were  scattered  groups  of  boys,  shooting  ai  birds, 
or  any  trifling  object  within  their  reacfi  ;  and  sometimes 
a  refractory  mule  or  untamed  coll  would  gallop  out  from 
the  line,  plunge  and  kick  till  he  had  eased  himself  of  his 
burihen,  nor  return  to  a  sense  of  his  duty  till  two  or  three 
mourned  Indians  had  given  him  proof  with  their  lar° 
yelles,  of  the  superior  power  and  address  of  man. 

I  had  a  little  quarrel  wiih  the  "  Brave  "  abovemen- 
tioned,  which  is  worth  recording,  as  illustrative  of  In- 
dian character.  I  mentioned,  a  few  pages  back,  that  on 
the  journey  I  had  sold  a  tired  horse  for  the  loan  of  a  fresh 
one  till  we  reached  the  Pawnee  village.  This  "Brave" 
was  the  man  wiih  whom  I  had  made  the  bargain,  and  I 
lold  the  interpreter  to  make  him  distinctly  understand 
ihai  he  was  to  have  mv  broken-down  nag,  and  might  do 
as  he  pleased,  either  in  leaving  him  to  rest  and  recover, 
or  endeavouring  to  make  him  travel ;  but  that  I  had  no- 
thing more  to  do  with  it  than  to  put  a  certain  portion 
of  my  baggage  on  his  fresh  horse  till  we  reached  the 
village. 

This  bargain  having  been  made,  he  chose  to  force  on 
the  tired  horse,  and  a  day  or  two  afterward,  the  interpre- 
ter came  and  told  me  that  it  had  stopped  altogether,  and 
that  the  "Brave"  would  not  let  me  have  his  any  more, 
as  he  wanted  it  himself.  This  piece  of  impudent 
roguery  was  too  glaring  to  be  allowed,  and  I  determined  to 
resist  it,  having  heard  and  learned  that  if  Indians  per- 
ceive any  weakness  or  simplicity  in  a  white  man,  they 
will  lake  every  opportunity  of  cheating  and  insulting  him. 
Accordingly,  I  told  the  interpreter  thai  "  he  had  been 
himself  the  medium  through  which  the  bargain  had  been 
struck,  and  that  if  the  jaded  horse  stopped,  or  even  died 
on  the  road,  T  was  entitled  to,  and  v^'ould  keep  the  fresh 
one  till  we  reached  the  village."  He  reconsulted  the 
"  Brave,"  who  was  sitting  only  a  few  yards  off,  and  re- 

Vol.  I.— S 


206  DESOLATE    PRAIRIE. 

turned  to  tell  me  that  the  Indian  did  not  understand  the 
terms  of  the  bargain  ;  "  he  wanted  ihe  horse,  and  was 
deterniined  to  have  him." 

This  was  not  a  pleasant  predicament  ^o  be  in  among 
these  wild  felluws  ;  but  I  knew  ihey  would  not  dare  to 
kill  me  openly,  under  the  circumstances  of  my  having 
been  placed  under  the  protection  of  their  chiefs,  and  I 
determined  accordingly  to  carry  my  point.  'I'he  horse 
was  among  the  rest,  not  more  than  twenty  yards  from 
where  we  sat.  I  got  up  quietly,  and  said  to  the  interpre- 
ter, "  You  knows  and  he  knows,  that  he  is  in  the  wrong. 
I  shall  now  go  and  bridle  tiiat  horse ;  if  he  chooses  to  come 
and  try  to  lake  him  from  me,  let  him  do  so  at  his  own 
risk."  I  accordingly  took  a  laryette,  put  it  over  the 
horse's  neck,  and  desired  my  servant  to  saddle  and  pack 
him  ;  during  which  operation  I  experienced  neither  hin- 
drance nor  mterruption,  and  we  pioceeded  peaceably  on 
our  journey.  The  "  Brave"  never  attempted  to  recover 
his  horse ;  and,  in  justice  to  him,  I  ought  to  add,  that  he 
never  appeared  to  bear  me  any  grudge  on  account  of  this 
little  breeze  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  believe  we  were  after- 
ward better  friends  than  if  I  had  allowed  him  to  cheat 
me  ;  and  I  am  sure  I  saved  myself  the  trouble  of  rebut- 
ting many  similar  attempts  at  imposition.  He  is  consi- 
dered one  of  the  most  dii^iinguished  Braves  of  the 
nation,  having  killed  two  or  three  men  and  two  grisly 
bears. 

I  joined  the  chiefs  in  the  central  interval,  and  amused 
myself  by  observing  the  scene  aroimd,  and  by  endeavour- 
ing to  increase  my  scanty  stock  of  Pawnee  language. 
'J  he  prairie  tlirongh  which  we  now  travelled  was  barren 
and  desolate  ;  however,  we  were  cheered  by  finding  fresh 
tracks  of  buffalo,  and  tlie  ponds  or  mud-holes  in  which 
they  had  wallowed,  partly  to  lefresh  themselves  from  the 
lieat,  and  partly  to  escape  from  the  vexatious  attacks  of 
the  gadflv. 

In  this  waste  there  was  not  either  bird  or  beast  to  be 
seen,  except  prairie  dogs.  I  do  not  know  how  these  little 
animals  obtained  this  absurd  appellation,  as  they  do  not 
bear  the  smallest  resemblance-  to  the  canine  species, 
either  in  formation   or   habits.    Th  -^ze   they  vary  ex- 


PRAIRIE    DOGS.  207 

tremely,  but  in  fteneral  they  are  not  larger  than  a  squir- 
rel, and  not  unlike  one  in  appearance,  except  that  they 
want  his  busliv  tail ;  the  head  is  also  somewhat  rounder. 
They  burrow  under  the  light  soil,  and  throw  it  up  round 
the  entrance  to  their  dwelHng  like  the  English  rabbit : 
on  this  lilile  mound  they  generally  sil,  chirping  and  chat- 
tering to  one  another  like  two  neighbour-gossips  in  a  vil- 
lage. Their  number  is  incredible,  and  their  cities  (for )  hey 
deserve  no  less  a  name)  full  of  activity  and  bustle.  I  do 
not  know  what  iheir occupations  are;  but  I  have  seen  them 
constantly  running  from  one  hole  to  another,  although 
they  do  not  ever  pay  any  distant  visits.  They  seem,  on 
the  approach  of  danger,  always  to  retire  to  their  own 
home  :  but  their  great  delight  apparently  consists  in 
braving  it  with  the  usual  insolence  of  cowardice, 
when  secure  from  punishment;  for,  as  you  approach, 
they  wag  their  little  tails,  elevate  their  heads,  and  chat- 
ter at  vou  like  a  monkey,  louder  and  louder  ihe'nearer 
you  come ;  but  no  sooner  is  the  hand  raised  to  any  mis- 
sile, whether  gun,  arrow,  stick,  or  stone,  than  they  pop 
into  the  hole  with  a  rapidii;y  oniy  equalled  by  that  sud- 
den disappearance  of  Punch,  with  which  I  have  been, 
when  a  child,  so  much  delighted  in  the  streets  and 
squares  of  London. 

1  attempted  to  shoot  some,  having  been  told  that  they 
were  good  to  eat,  but  could  only  get  two,  although  I  de- 
stroyed probably  five  times  that  number  ;  for  they  always 
contrived  lo  creep  or  fall  into  their  subterranean  fortress, 
and  make  it,  like  true  heroes,  their  grave.  The  two 
which  1  did  recover  were  too  small  to  cook,  and  I  made 
a  resolution  never  to  molest  the  little  wretches  again  with 
my  gun. 

The  whole  plain  was  also  covered  with  owls  ;  each 
hole  seemed  to  be  the  residence  of  an  owl  and  a  prairie 
dog  ;  and  this  apparently  discrepant  couple  lived  toge- 
ther united  in  the  bonds  {not  of  matrimony)  but  of  friend- 
ship. I  have  been  often  told  that  rattlesnakes  are  also 
admitted  into  the  same  dwelling,  but  ho  the  truth  or  un- 
truth of  this  I  cannot  speak  from  personal  observation.* 

*  The  little  animal  here  described  is  called  by  Ord  and  other  western 


208  BUFFALO    CHASE. 

On  the  22d  mylong-cherished  curiosity  was  destinedlo 
be  gratified  ;  loud  and  deafening  cries  of  "  Taralia  !  tara- 
ha  !"  (buffalo)  ran  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other, 
and  all  became  bustle  and  confusion.  Some  young  men 
went  in  iheir  gayest  attire,  others  vaulted  naked  on  their 
unsaddled  horses;  in  all,  about  a  thousand  sallied  forth 
in  search  of  the  enemy.  Many  false  reports  had  been 
spread  as  to  their  distance  and  locality,  so  that  we  had 
to  gallop  over  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  of  sleep  and  undu- 
lating ground  before  we  came  up  with  their  rear-guard, 
consisting  of  thirty  or  forty  bulls,  bounding  after  their 
uncouth  fashion  along  the  side  of  a  hill.  The  horses 
were  now  put  to  their  speed,  and  I  soon  found  that  the 
pony  which  had  been  lent  me,  was  neither  strong  nor 
swift  enough  to  bear  me  in  such  a  chase  ;  and  having 
seen  a  few  killed  about  two  iuindred  yards  ahead  of  me, 
I  gave  up  the  pursuit  in  despair,  and  determined  to  see 
how  they  disposed  of  the  slain,  as  I  had  no  chance  of 
overtakincr  the  livinor. 

I  jumped  off  my  panting  pony,  and  went  to  the  nearest 
group,  where  the  ceremony  of  disseciion  was  about  to 
take  place.  Two  or  three  Indians  were  round  the  fallen 
monster,-  whose  life  was  scarcely  exlinct,  whetting 
their  knives  on  their  moccasins  ;  and  just  as  I  arrived, 
they  began  to  take  off  the  skin.  It  is  needless  to 
detail  the  succeeding  operations  at  large  ;  but  I  am 
confident  that,  from  the  time  the  first  incision  was  made 
till  the  whole  meat  was  cut  up,  packed,  and  strung 
upon  a  horse,  fifteen  minutes  had  not  elapsed  ;  and  ex- 
cept ihe  head,  there  was  not  enough  left  upon  the  ground 
to  feed  a  dog.  They  were  not  provided  with  saw,  axe, 
or  cleaver,  nor  with  any  other  weapon  but  a  common 
pointed  dinner-knife,  and  yet  they  had  carried  off  the 
brains,!  the   heart,  the  marrow,  and   liver  ;    the  greater 

naturalists,  the  Louisiana  Marmot,  or  Arctomys  ;  the  owl  mentioned  is 
the  Coquimbo  owl,  the  same  as  the  species  found  in  South  America, 
with  similar  habits  of  burrowing  {Strix  cumcularm),  and  feeds  upon 
grasshoppers  and  insects.  The  rattlesnake,  which  is  said  sometimes  to 
join  company  with  this  singular  pair,  is  the  Crofalus  tergeminus. — See 
"  Long's  Expedition,"  vol.  i.  p.  499  ;  vol.  ii.  p.  37. 
.  t  In  case  any  knight  of  the  cleaver  should  doubt  my  assertion,  in  re- 
gard to  extracting  the  brains  of  a  bull  without  any  heavy  metal  or  wood- 
en instrument,  I  think  it  right  to  record  how  they  take  them,  and  whu 


RICARAS*  209 

portion  of  ihe  two  latter  they  ate  raw  upon  the  spot.  I 
was  I  hen  surprised  and   horrified — I  soon  grew  wiser. 

When  the  band  of  hunters  came  in,  at  night-fall,  it  ap- 
peared that  they  had  overtaken  a  large  herd,  as  they 
broughl  in  about  eighty  buffalo.  The  same  evening,  a 
runner  from  the  out-picqueis*  came  round  the  tents  to 
give  the  piihy  caution,  "  Men  have  been  seen  ;"  this  is 
a  warning  tfiat  a  fresh  trail  has  been  found,  or  a  glimpse 
caught  of  some  one,  who  disappeared  so  qiuckly  that 
they  could  not  determine  his  tribe.  A  report  had  pre- 
vailed for  one  or  two  days  that  the  Kicaras  were  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Accordingly,  we  loaded  our  guns,  lied 
all  the  horses,  and  took  the  usual  precautions.  The  Ki- 
caras (or,  according  to  the  usual  French  mutilation  of 
names,  the  Rees  les  Ris)  are  a  wild  and  warlike  tribe, 
famed  for  their  skill  in  horse-stealing.  They  roam 
chiefly  between  the  prairies  over  which  we  were  travel- 
ling, and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  are  a  branch  of 
the  once  great  Pawnee  nation,  although  now  h^ostile  to 
them  ;  but  iheir  languages  are  the  same  ;  nor  am  I  aware 
of  any  other  irib.e  who  speak  a  similar  tongue.  How- 
ever, if  ihey  contemplated  thieving  undiscovered,  one 
great  difficulty  was  removed  out  of  their  way,  namely, 
silence.  I  never  heard  such  a  continued  confusion  of 
sounds.  The  council  of  Pandagmonium,  or  the  tower  of 
Babel,  could  scarcely  equal  it.  Women  chattering, 
children  crying,  men  singing,  or  rather  yelling,  their  war- 
songs,  dogs  howling,  horses  neighing,  and  asses  braying  !• 
From  these  instruments  let  the  imagination  compose, 
the  orchestra  to  which  I  was  that  night  indebted  for 
music. 

Our  crafty  neighbours  did  not  neglect  the  opportunity 

they  take  them.  First,  they  break  and  cut  oft'  the  fore-leg  at  the  knee 
joints,  and  using  the  shank  as  a  handle  and  the  hoof  as  a  hammer,  by 
repeated  blows  they  break  through  the  frontal  bone.  The  purpose  of 
taking)  the  brains  is  to  render  the  skin  soft  and  pliant,  when  it  is  in  the 
course  of  being  prepared  as  a  robe. 

*  I  observed  that  on  the  march,  and  during  their  night  encampment, 
the  Pawnees  always  had  oul-posls  on  every  side  of  the  viJIage.  Besides 
this  |)recaution,  a  great  many  of  the  young  men  lie  in  their  blankets,  at 
a  little  distance  from  it,  chanting  their  war  and  huntino- songs  ;  and 
they  prefer  sleeping  in^  that  manner  to  the  confinement  of  their  tents. 


2:10-  HORSE    STEALING. 

thus  offered.  On  rising  in  the  nnorning,  we  heard  that 
a  small  Ricara  party  had  carried  off  iwenty-six  of  our 
horses  during  the  night,  including  two  of  nriine,  one  of 
which  broke  away  from  ihem  and  returned  ;  but  the 
other,  a  venerable  gray,  remained  in  the  hands  of  ihe 
captors.* 

The  manner  in  which  they  steal  horses  is  as  follows  : 
— Two  or  three  men  approach  the  encampment,  cau- 
tiously, soon  after  night-fall,  and  take  advantage  of  any 
creek,  dell,  or  brushwood,  that  may  serve  to  conceal 
them  from  the  observation  of  the  out-piquets  ;  if  they 
succeed  in  reaching  the  extremity  of  the  village  undis- 
covered, they  stand  up  and  walk  deliberately  through  it, 
wrapped  in  their  buffalo  robe.  Of  course  they  can 
no  longer  be  distinguished  from  the  Pawnees  by  the 
faint  light  of  the  half  extingiiished  fires  ;  and  as  they 
pass  the  groups  of  horses  collected  before  their  respec- 
tive owners'  lodges,  they  cut,  with  a  sharp  knife,  the 
larvettes  which  fasten  those  that  they  purpose  to  carry 
off.  As  soon  as  they  have  loosened  the  required  number, 
each  man  jumps  upon  one,  and  they  drive  off  the  rest 
at  full  speed,  shaking  their  blankets,  and  urging  the 
alarmed  animals  to  their  utmost  exertions.  Of  course 
they  obtain  a  considerable  start  of  any  pursuit ;  and  if 
the  night  is  dark,  run  but  little  risk  of  being  overtaken. 

The  manner  of  securing  horses  on  the  prairie  against 
these  depredators  is  two-fold  :  either  to  tie  them  by  a 
laryette,  passed  round  the  neck,  to  a  peg  or  stake  driven 
firmly  into  the  ground;  or  to  ^'hobble"  them,  which  is 
effected  by  tying  the  foie  legs  close  together  by  leather 

*Soon  after  our  departure  from  the  fort,  our  American  lad,  who  was  a 
merry  wag,  named  the  diflerent  pack-horses  and  mules  after  the  public 
men  of  the  day,  according  to  his  opinion  of  their  respective  merits  and 
quaPities.  It  was-inipossible  to  avoid  a  smile  when  I  overheard  some  of 
his  objurgations,  as  he  was  driving  them  up  in  the  rear: — "  Come  up, 
General  !"  "Wo,  ho.  Van  Buren — your  pack  is  all  on  one  side."  "  Go 
it,  Henry  Clay — old  Kentuck  forever  !"  &c.  1  believe  it  was  ''  General 
Jackson"  that  remained  a  Ricara  prisoner.  How  they  ever  succeeded 
in  making  him  move  I  cannot  imagine,  as  all  our  instruments  of  per- 
suasion, from  a  spur  to  a  cowhide,  could  only  extract  a  very  small  jog- 
trot, and  that  for  a  short  time.  Nevertheless,  he  must  have  been  forced 
off  at  some  speed,  as  a  few  Pawnees  pursued  for  many  miles,  in  the 
morning,  without  success. 


REPRISALS.  211 

thongs  passed  round  them,  below  the  knee-joint.  This 
latter  is  the  safer  plan,  because  a  thief  can  sometimes 
cut  the  laryette,  as  he  walks,  wiihoui  risk  of  observation  ; 
but  if  he  sloops  down  to  untie  or  cut  a  strong  leather 
thong  between  the  shins  of  a  horse,  he  not  only  runs 
more  risk  of  alarming  the  animal,  but  incurs  suspicion 
from  any  one  who  may  happen  to  be  lying  awake  in  the 
neighbourhood.  In  cases  where  there  is  a  probability 
of  such  an  attempt,  it  is  better  both  to  tie  and  hobble 
them  ;  a  lesson  which  I  learned  by  experience. 

On  the  following  day  tlie  chiefs  assembled,  and  sat 
in  council  many  hours,  probably  discussing  the  expe- 
diency of  reprisals.  Indeed,  the  subject  affords  a  wide 
field  for  debate  ;  as  the  United  Stales,  in  the  stipulation 
for  paying  ihe  annuities  for  ceded  lands,  exact  from  the 
Pawnees  tliat  they  shall  not  send  out  war  parlies  to  steal 
horses,  as  had  been  tbeir  constant  practice  ;  in  the  mean- 
time the  more  distant  tribes  come  in  to  hunt  in  the  buf- 
falo prairies  and  steal  the  Pawnee  horses,  while  the  latter 
are  forbidden  to  make  reprisals.  These  stipulations 
would  be  very  hard,  if  adhered  to  ;  but  I  have  good  rea- 
son to  believe  that,  during  my  residence  with  the  Paw- 
nees, they  sent  out  several  horse-stealing  parlies,  one  of 
which  was  supposed  to  have  met  with  considerable  suc- 
cess amonor  the  Kanzas,  a  tribe  sealed  on  the  river  of  the 

•  •  •     1 

same  name.     The  Indian  notions  ot  reprisals  are  very 

cosmopolitan  ;  if  thirty  horses  are  stolen  from  them,  and 
they  cannot  discover  ihe  thieves,  ihey  consider  them- 
selves perfectly  justified  in  stealing  thirty  from  the  first 
parly  or  tribe  that  may  offer  them  the  ofporlunity.  I 
cannot  give  reference  to  ihe  Pawnee  Blackstone  ;  but 
the  ''Jus  et  factum'''  are  both  indisputable. 

We  remained  now  two  days  wilhoul  seeing  any  buf- 
falo, and  I  had  nothing  to  amuse  me  but  to  watch,  observe, 
and  record  the  manners  and  customs  of  those  around 
me.  I  received  a  visit  from  Tara  wicadi-a*  (or  the  Lit- 
tle Chief).  He  was  the  head  chief  of  the  Tapage  tribe, 
and  a  man  of  considerable  influence  and  abiliiy.     He 

*  This  cliipf  lias  another  council  name,  vide  supra,  which  is  indicative 
of  his  eloquence. 


212  INDIAN    CHARACTER. 

made  me  a  present  of  a  painted  buffalo  robe,*  such  as 
is  given  by  a  bridegroom  to  his  intended  falher-in-law. 
It  was  not  quite  new,  but  the  symbols  are  curious  and 
clearly  distinguishable,  representing  the  claws  of  a  bear, 
and  two  drawings  of  a  bird  and  a  beast  with  half  a  dozen 
tails,  the  genus  or  species  of  which  w^ould  be  problema- 
tical eiifier  to  Linnaeus  or  Buffon.  I  had  learned  enough 
of  tlie  Pawnees  to  know,  ihat  they  never  make  a  pre- 
sent without  expecting  a  more  than  adequate  return,  and. 
consequently  I  paid  the  Tapage  chief  with  a  parcel  of 
beads,  knives,  tobacco,  and  vermilion.  In  bargaining 
ihey  are  complete  Jews ;  they  esteem  a  man  who  beats 
them  down  in  the  price  of  an  article,  and  despise  one 
who  sells  them  anything  at  a  low  rate. 

Every  hour  that  I  spent  with  the  Indians,  impressed 
i]pon  me  the  conviction  that  I  had  taken  the  only  method 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  their  domestic  habits  and 
their  undisguised  character.  Had  I  judged  from  what 
I  had  been  able  to  observe  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  or  other 
frontier  places,  where  1  met  them,  I  should  have  knowa 
about  as  much  of  them  as  the  generality  of  scribblers 
and  their  readers,  and  might,  like  them,  have  deceived 
myself  and  others  into  a  belief  in  iheir  "high  sense  of 
honour" — their  hospitality — their  openness  and  love  of 
truth,  and  many  other  qualities  which  they  possess,  if  at 
all,  in  a  very  moderate  degree  ;  and  yet  it  is  no  wonder 
if  such  impressions  have  gone  abroad,  because  the  In- 
dian, among  whiles,  or  at  a  garrison,  trading-post,  or 
town,  is  as  different  a  man  from  the  same  Indian  at 
bome  as  a  Turkish  "  Mollah"  is  from  a  French  barber. 
An:iong  whites,  he  is  all  dignity  and  repose  ;  he  is  acting 
a  part  the  whole  time,  and  acts  it  most  admirably.  He 
manifests  no  surprise  at  the  most  wonderful  effects  of 
machinery — is  not  startled  if  a  twenty-four  pounder  is 
fired  close  to  him,,  and  does  not  evince  the  slightest  cu- 
riosity regarding  the  thousand  ihings  that  are  strange  and 

*  The  Indians  paint  various  devices  upon  their  robes,  according  to 
the  ceremony  or  exploit  which  thej'^  wish  to  commemorate  Thus  there 
are  marriage-rol)es,  battle-robes,  hunting-robes,  medicine. robes,  .'vc. 
The  one  to  which  I  refer  above  is  a  marriage-robe,  and  is  still  (1839)  in 
my  possession. 


INDIAN    CHARACTER.  213 

new  lo  him  ;  whereas  at  home,  the  same  Indian  chatters, 
jokes,  and  laughs  among  his  companions — trequently 
indulges  in  the  most  licentious  conversation  ;  and  his 
curiosity  is  unbounded  and  irresistible  as  that  of  any 
man,  woman,  or  monkey,  on  earih. 

Truth  and  honesty  (making  the  usual  exceptions  to  be 
found  in  all  countries)  are  unknown,  or  despised  by  them. 
A  boy  is  taught  and  encouraged  to  steal  and  lie,  and  the 
only  blame  or  disgrace  ever  incurred  thereby  is  when 
the  offence  is  accompanied  by  detection.  I  never  met 
with  liars  so  determined,  universal,  or  audacious.  The 
chiefs  themselves  have  told  me  repeatedly  the  most  de- 
liberate and  gross  untruths,  to  serve  a  trifling  purpose, 
with  the  gravity  of  a  chief-justice  ;  and  1  doubt  wheiher 
Baron  Munchausen  himself  would  be  more  than  a  match 
for  the  great  chief  of  the  Pawnees.  Let  them  not  dis- 
pute the  palm — each  is  greatest  in  his  peculiar  line — one 
in  inventive  exaggeration,  the  olher  in  plain  unadorned 
falsehood.  But  from  all  these  charges  I  most  completely 
exonerate  my  old  chief,  Sa-ni-isa-rish ;  Nature  had 
made  him  a  gentleman,  and  he  remained  so,  in  spite  of 
the  corrupting  examples  around  him. 

To  give  some  idea  of  their  "  want  of  curiosity,"  I 
will  merely  relate  the  circumstances  usually  attending  a 
feast,  to  which  I,  or  any  of  our  party  of  four,  was  invited. 

On  entering  the  lodge,  I  found  a  vacant  place  near 
the  owner,  who  made  signs  that  I  sfiould  occupy  it :  if 
others  were  invited,  we  waited  till  all  arrived.  A  bowl, 
either  of  Indian  corn  or  buffalo  meat,  was  then  placed  in 
the  centre  ;  the  guests  silting  cross-legged,  like  tailors, 
around  it.  There  was  a  horn  spoon  for  eacli  person ; 
and  at  the  word.  "  L6,"  or  "  lj6-wa,"  we  all  fell  to  work. 
This  word  comprises  their  whole  vocabulary  of  "  assent," 
"satisfaction,"  and  "compliment;"  it  invariably  begins 
and  concludes  a  feast,  each  guest  saying  it  as  he  enters 
and  leaves  the  tent. 

As  the  giver  of  the  feast  never  eats  with  his  guests, 
his  occupation  generally  was  to  scrutinize  me.  He 
would  first  pass  his  hand  all  over  my  coarse  blue  check- 
ed shirt  (or  jacket) ;  then  he  would  take  up  mv  knife — . 
open  and  shut  it  twenty  times — ask  as  many  questions 


214  CURIOSITY. 

about  it,  then  pass  it  on  to  another  :  he  would  next  take  up, 
or  take  of?  my  hat,  and  place  it  on  his  own  greasy  head, 
first  cocking  it  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other — all  the 
time  admiring  himself  in  a  pocket-mirror.  While  he  was 
thus  employed,  another  would  ponnce  upon  my  red  silk 
pocket-handkerchief,  and  wind  it  hke  a  tnrban  round  the 
unwashed,  uncombed,  and  thickly-peopled  head  of  some 
half-pleased,  half-frightened  child  ;  and  a  third,  in  the 
meantime,  would  dive  to  the  bottom  of  every  one  of 
my  pockets,  and  submit  everything  therein  contained — 
coins,  copper-caps,  pencil,  &c.,  lo  the  same  diligent  in- 
spection. After  being  among  them  some  little  time,  I 
determined  to  put  a  slop  to  this  nuisance,  and  whenever 
they  touched  my  hat,  knife,  or  anything  else  belonging 
to  me,  I  quielly  removed  their  hand,  and  told  them 
gravely  they  must  not  do  so.  They  soon  found  out  I 
was  in  earnest,  and  they  ceased  from  annoying  me.  I 
am  not  sure  whether  they  thought  me  a  "sulky  fellow" 
or  a  "great  chief"  in  consequence  of  this  conduct,  but 
I  raihef  believe  the  latter,  as  they  treated  me  with  more 
respect ;  whereas  my  white  companions  pursued  a  less 
deiermined  (perhaps,  a  more  good-natured)  course  ;  and  I 

saw  my  friend  V 's  and  my  servant's  hat,  and  other 

articles,  making  the  tour  of  heads  and  hands  as  long  as 
we  remained  among  them.  As  to  their  begging,  I  was 
obliged  very  early  to  put  a  stop  to  that ;  for  there  was 
not  a  single  thing  in  my  possession  that  they  did  not  ask 
for,  even  till  I  was  tired  of  repeating  "  Ka-ki,"  No, 


INDIAN    WOMEN.  215 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Indian  Women. — Children. — Nursery  Discipline. — Girls. — Courtship. 
— Marriage. — A  Missionary. — Occupation  and  Labours  of  married 
Women. — Degradation  of  the  half-civilized  Tribes — Education  and 
Life  of  Indian  Men. — An  Indian  Dandy. — His  elaborate  Toilet. — 
His  Effeminacy. — Game  at  Javelin. — Indian  Courage. 

It  may  seem  unpardonable  that  I  ha-ve  so  long  defer- 
red any  mention  of  the  appearance,  manners,  dress,  and 
condition  of  the  "  ladies  "  in  this  community.  The  de- 
lay has  been  occasioned  by  the  best  of  motives,  namely, 
a  hope  that  longer  experience  might  enable  me  to  find 
some  exceptions  to  such  a  general  description  as  truth 
would  oblige  me  to  give.  I  waited  long,  and  found 
none  ;  and  am  now  under  the  unpleasant  necessity  of  de- 
claring that,  among  the  Pawnee  females,  I  never  saw 
one  instance  of  beauty,  either  in  face  or  figure — of  neat- 
ness in  dress — cleanliness  in  appearance,  or  of  any  one 
of  those  graceful  and  attractive  attributes  which  generally 
rharacterize  the  softer  sex.*  Their  life  is  one  of  perpe- 
tual degradation  and  slavery  ;  and,  in  spite  of  their  slo- 
venly appearance,  I  could  not  withhold  my  admiration 
at  the  good- humour  with  which  they  perform  labours  une- 
qualled by  those  of  any  free  servant  or  slave.  In  their  in- 
fancy and  early  childhood  they  are  completely  spoiled. 

Some  authors  have  pretended  that  Indian  children 
never  cry  :  this  is  as  true  as  many  other  parts  of  their 
absurd  histories  ;  I  never  was  amonn-  children  so  given 
to  cry  and  scream.  I  have  seen  them  repeatedly  do  so 
(when  they  wanted  any  trifle  which  was  refused  them), 
with  such  incessant  -violence,  that  ihey  ended  by  cough- 
ing most  horribly  and  spitting  blood  ;  then  the  alarmed 
mother  would  leave  her  work,  and,  instead  of  a  good 

*  I  did  afterwards  see  two  or  three  pretty  girls,  but  so  few  in  number 
that  I  did  not  think  myself  justified  in  altering  the  text. 


216  NURSERY   DICIPLINE. 

whipping,  give  ihem  whatever  ihey  asked  for.  Among 
other  instances  of  foolish  nnaternal  indulgence,  and  its 
corresponding  effects  on  a  child,  the  following  is  not 
among  the  least  ludicrous  : — 

In  onr  tent  was  a  little  girl,  nearly  two  years  old,  so 
dreadfully  affected  wiih  the  hooping-cough,  that  it  fre- 
quently caused  me  to  lie  awake  half  the  night,  and  I 
hourly  expected  it  to  break  a  blood-vessel  and  die.  This 
poor  little  wretch's  temper  was  as  bad,  and  as  badly 
nursed,  as  her  heahh  ;  she  governed  the  whole  tent  ; 
and  I  cannot  conceive  how  she  survived  a  week,  consi- 
dering that  her  mother  and  aunts  used  all  the  means  in 
their  power  to  kill  her,  short  of  a  "lethal  weapon."  I 
have  seen  her  in  the  couise  of  one  morning  (she  being 
only  two  years  old  !)  eat  a  good  bowl  of  half-boiled  maize 
— then  enough  green  grapes  and  plums  to  give  the  cho- 
lera to  a  bargeman — then  a  large  hunch  of  buffalo  meat, 
nearly  raw  ;  in  the  midst  of  which  last  she  stopped,  and 
began  to  cry  and  scream,  for  what  1  knew  not,  but  her 
mother  knew  better;  and  the  poor  woman  was  obliged 
to  open  her  blanket  and  suckle  the  young  screamer,  wiio 
still  held  the  half-eaten  slice  of  buffalo  meat  in  her  hand  !* 
Even  the  hints  that  kindly  nature  gave  were  lost  upon 
thsm  ;  for,  after  she  had  rejected  the  unripe  fruit,  with 
evident  proofs  of  her  aversion,  too  disagreeable  for  me  to 
forget,  within  ten  minutes  I  saw  the  child  again  taking 
another,  and  at  least  as  large  a  dose,  of  the  same  com- 
position.    So  much  for  infant  diet! 

As  they  grow  older  their  tyranny  decreases,  and  by 
the  time  they  are  five  or  six  years  old,  they  are  made  to 
carry  wood  and  water,  and  enter  upon  the  duties  of  their 
life  ;  before  they  are  grown  up,  the  more  industrious 
and  ingenious  among  them,  add  to  their  usual  domestic 
accomplishments,  the  making  of  various  little  ornaments, 
and  the  painting  of  buffalo-skins. 

Suppose  the  young  lady  arrived  at  the  age  when   the 

*  The  Pawnee  ■women  frequently  keep  their  children  unweaned  till 
near  three  years  of  age,  and  thus,  of  course,  have  sometimes  two  or 
three  sucking  at  once.  The  long,  pendant  breast  of  an  Indian  squaw, 
after  a  certain  age,  is  one  of  the  most  offensive  and  disagreeable  objects 
upon  which  my  eye  ever  rested. 


MARRIAGE.  217 

short  usurpation  of  Cupid  is  to  be  succeeded  by  the  ab- 
solute monarchy  of  Hvmen,  the  ceremony  to  be  observed 
is  (as  far  as  1  can  learn)  nearly  as  follows  : — When  the 
lover  wishes  to  break  the  ice,  he  comes  to  her  father's 
tent  uninvited,  and  sits  on  the  corner  of  the  mat  for  a 
considerable  time,  then  rises,  and  goes  away  without 
speaking.  This  is  the  preliminary  step  in  courtship,  an- 
swering perhaps  to  the  first  gentle  pressure  of  the  hand 
— the  first  bhishing  hesitation  in  address — the  first  mu- 
tual glance  of  understanding. — But  I  am  treading  on 
dangerous  ground,  and  must  proceed  no  farther  with 
these  drawing-room  "preliminaries." 

Afier  a  few  days"  the  young  man  returns,  wearing  his 
buftalo-robe  with  the  hair  outward,  and  again  sits  down 
silent  in  the  corner  of  the  tent;  this  is  a  regular  propo- 
sal ;  if  the  father  is  determined  to  reject  him  at  once,  no 
skin  IS  placed  for  him  to  sit  on,  and  no  meat  is  offered  to 
him  :  but  if  he  approves  of  the  match,  these  usual  rites 
of  hospitality  are  observed,  and  he  tells  the  young 
man  that  he  will  give  a  feast  to  obtain  the  consent 
of  all  his  daughter's  connections,  and  advises  him  also  to 
do  the  same  by  his  relations  ;  should  both  of  these  feasts 
terminate  favourably,  the  young  man  presents  himself 
once  more  before  his  bride  at  the  door  of  her  tent,  then 
turns  round  and  walks  slowly  off  toward  his  own  ;  she 
rises  a!id  follows  him — the  marriage  is  then  complete  ; 
(if  she  remain  sitting,  it  is  a  sign  that  her  family  decline 
the  match.)  As  soon  as  he  reaches  home  he  sends  her 
father  the  marriage  present,  or  rather,  the  purch  <se 
money  for  his  wife,  (indeed  it  is  neither  more  nor  less,) 
the  amount  of  which  is  already  pretty  well  ascertained 
by  the  faiher-in-law,  and  which  consists  of  horses, 
blankets,  or  robes,  according  to  the  wealth  or  respecta- 
bility of  the  contracting  parties. 

The  most  extraordinary  part  of  this  matrimonial  affair 
is,  that,  having  married  the  elder  sister,  he  has  a  right  to 
marry  all  the  younger  ones  as  they  successively  attain 
the  age  of  puberty.  Nor  is  this  at  all  unusual  ;  on  the 
conlrary,  it  is  a  common  practice,  as  ihe  husband  there- 
by secures  so  many  additional  slaves,  and  can  obtain  so 
much  more  corn,  dried  meat,  dressed  skins,  &c.,  all  of 

Vol.  L— T 


218  A    MISSIONARY. 

which  are  ihe  result  of  female  labour.  When  the  second 
sister  becomes  marriageable,  or  rather,  when  il  suits  his 
fancy  or  convenience  to  take  her,  he  sejids  her  father  a 
horse  or  olhc-r  proportionate  prescfit,  and  she  comes  over 
to  his  lodge  ;  and  so  on  witli  the  other  sisters.*  I  have 
seen  several  chiefs  who  have,  in  ihis  manner,  married  a 
whole  family  ;  the  eldest  wife  being  the  greatest  drudge, 
and  the  youngest  being  generally  the  favourite  sultana, 
and  consequently  doing  the  least  work. 

I  cannot  affirm  the  universal  accuracy  of  the  above 
account,  because  I  could  not  understand  the  Indians  suf- 
ficienily  to  extiact  much  information  from  them.  The 
French  interpreter  was  extremely  illiterate,  ignorant,  and 
uncommunicative  ;  and  the  only  other  source  from  which 
I  could  gather  anything,  was  from  a  yourig  man  sent  by 
the  missionaries  from  New  .England  to  iearn  the  Pawnee 
language,  with  a  view  to  his  teaching  their  children  here- 
after the  elements  of  religion,  morals,  grammar,  6ic. 
The  history  of  the  world  affords  ample  evidence  to  prove 
that  the  first  spreaders  of  the  Gospel  among  savage 
tribes,  must  be  active  enterprising  men,  and  entfiusiasts  ; 
anvthing  more  directly  opposite  to  these  qualities  than 
the  character  of  the  young  missionary  resident  among 
the  Pawnees  I  defy  the  whole  world  lo  produce, — he 
was  the  most  quiet,  indolent,  phlegmatic  being  I  ever 
beheld,  and  in  taciturnity  worthy  lo  be  a  priest  of  Monius 
himself;  however,  I  did  now  and  then  extract  a  few  sen- 
tences from  him,  and  such  facts  as  he  told  me  I  could 
depend  upon,  as  there  did  not  appear  to  be  a  grain  of 
fancy  or  invention  in  his  composition  :  he  had  been  with 
the  Pawnees  about  eight  monlhs,  and  spoke  a  few  words 
of  the  language,  but  he  had  not  the  "bump" — I  beg 
pardon,  the  "  organ  "  of  language.  His  residence  among 
them  may  be  productive  of  some  advantage  lo  the  esli- 

*  This  custom  is  common  among  other  savage  tribes  besides  the 
Pawnees.  See  Major  Long's  "Account  of  the  Oniahas,"  vol.  i.  p.  230. 
Also  the  Padre  Palon's  "  Description  of  Upper  California,"  quoted  by 
Mr.  Forbes  ;  "  it  is  very  common  for  the  wife  to  urge  her  husband  to 
marry  her  sisters,  and  even  their  mother  !  and  the  common  custom  is 
when  a  man  marries,  that  he  takes  the  whole  of  the  sisters  for  wives." — 
forhes'  California,  p.  190,  see  Appendix. 


MARRIED    WOMEN.  219 

mate  formed  by  the  savages  of  the  character  of  the 
whiles,  as  his  hfe  is  decent  and  moral  ;  vvfiereas  their  in- 
tercourse has  been  mostly  confined  to  the  French  traders, 
who  are  in  general  grossly  licentious  and  profligate,  hav- 
ing wives  in  every  tribe  they  deal  with,  and  tempting 
the  poor  savage  to  barler  the  honour  (if  among  them  it 
can  be  so  called)  of  their  daughters  and  sisters  for  a  dram 
of  whiskey. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  so  many  Indians  can 
have  four,  five,  or  six  wives,  and  that  so  very  few  are  un- 
married at  thirty  years  of  age,  unless  we  suppose  that 
three  or  four  females  among  them  are  born  to  one  male  : 
it  mitrht  have  been  accounted  for  formerly  by  the  num- 
ber of  men  that  died  in  their  wars,  hunting  parties,  and 
accidents;  but  these  means  of  depopulation  are  so  much 
more  rare  than  they  used  to  be,  that  they  can  scarcely 
be  supposed  to  explain  the  great  disproportion  between 
the  sexes. 

Having  already  brought  the  lady  through  all  the  dan- 
gers of  celibacy,  her  matrimonial  happiness  will  he  most 
easily  appreciated  by  a  faiihful  narralion  of  her  daily  oc- 
cupation when  the  village  is  moving.  She  rises  an  hour 
before  daylight,  packs  up  the  dried  meat,  the  corn,  and 
other  bales,  strikes  the  tent,  loads  and  saddles  all  the 
horses  and  mules,  and  at  dawn  the  march  commences  ; 
they  generally  go  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  before 
their  mid-day  halt  ;  the  husband  rides,  some  animals  are 
loaded,  many  run  loose;  she  travels  on  foot,  carrying  on 
her  back  either  a  child  or  a  package  of  considerable  size,  in 
one  hand  a  bundle  or  a  can  of  water,  wiih  the  other  lead- 
ing one  or  two  pack-horses.  On  arriving  at  the  camp- 
ing-place, she  unpacks  the  animals,  and  proceeds  to 
pilch  the  tent,  or  lodge,  as  before  described.  But  in 
order  lo  appreciate  the  exlreme  labour  of  this  apparenily 
simple  operation,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  she  has 
to  force  eight  or  ten  poles,  sharpened  at  the  point,  into 
ground  baked  nearly  as  hard  as  brick  by  a  vertical  sun  ; 
they  require  to  be  driven  at  least  six  inches  deep  by  the 
mere  strength  of  her  arms,  as  she  is  not  assisted  by  the 
use  of  any  iron-pointed  instrument  or  any  mallet.  As 
soon  as  the  lent  is  pitched  and  arranged,  she  goes  in 


220  LABORIOUS    DUTIES. 

search  of  wood  and  water  ;  the  latter  is  generally  with- 
in half-a-mile  of  the  campingr-place  selected,  but  the 
former,  I  can  positively  affirm  from  my  own  observation, 
she  frequently  has  to  seek  and  carry  on  her  back  three 
or  four  miles. 

From  mingled  commisseration  and  curiosity,  I  have 
once  or  twice  raised  these  wood-bundles  thus  brought  in, 
and  am  afraid  to  hazard  a  conjecture  at  iheir  weight,  but  I 
feel  confident  tliat  any  London  porter  would  charge  high 
for  an  extra  load,  if  he  was  desired  to  carry  one  of  them 
half-a-mile:  she  then  proceeds  to  light  tiie  fire,  cut  up 
ihe  meat,  and  pound  the  corn,  for  which  latter  purpose  she 
is  obhged  to  use  a  heavy  club,  round  at  the  extremity, 
and  a  mortar,  hollowed  by  herself  from  the  trunk  of  a 
"Walnut.  As  soon  as  the  meal  is  finished,  she  has  to 
strike  the  tent,  re-load  the  horses,  and  the  whole  forego- 
ing irork  IS  to  be  repeated,  except  that  the  afternoon 
walk  is  generally  not  more  than  eight  miles. 

This  is  the  ordinary  rouiine  of  a  travelling  day  ;  but 
on  the  day  of  a  hunt,  and  on  its  successor,  her  labour 
varies  in  kind,  not  much  in  degree,  as,  besides  bringing 
"Wood  and  water,  cooking,  &c.,  she  has  to  cut  up  all  the 
meat  into  thin  flakes  or  layers  to  be  dried  in  the  sun,  to 
dress  the  skins  and  robes,  the  mode  of  doing  which  I 
shall  have  to  notice  presently  ;  to  make  ihe  moccasins, 
leggins,  and,  in  short,  whatever  clothing  is  wanted  by 
any  part  of  the  family.  To  perform  this  incredible  labour 
there  were  only  three  women  in  our  lodge,  and  I  never 
saw  any  of  ihs  three  either  grumble,  or  rest  a  moment, 
although  plagued  with  the  additional  care  and  ceaseless 
crying  of  the  two  beforementioned  brats.  Lest  it  may 
be  supposed  that  in  the  permanent  or  winter  lodge  they 
enjoy  more  rest,  it  is  as  well  to  mention  that,  in  addition 
to  their  domestic  duties,  the  whole  of  the  agricultural 
labour,  in  their  coarse  system  of  raising  maize,  falls  to 
their  share. 

'  Is  it  possible  to  contemplate  this  constant  and  severe 
fatigue,  undergone  with  uncomplaining  cheerfulness, 
without  pity  and  admiration?  And  yet  the  women  ap- 
pear contented  and  even  happy  ;  they  laugh  under  their 
burthens,   and  chatter  during  half   the   night.      They 


HALF-CIVILIZED    TRIBES.  221 

seem  even  to  be  proof  against  the  pains  of  the  primal 
punishment  brought,  by  sin,  upon  womankind  ;  for  ihey 
pursue  their  ordinary  occupations  until  the  latest  period 
of  their  labour,  and  immediately  after  the  birth  of  the 
child  resume  them  wifliout  interruption.  It  appears  that 
no  obstetric  aid  is  required  on  lliese  occasions  ;  if  the 
village  is  on  a  march,  the  sister  or  some  other  female  re- 
mains, for  an  hour,  in  the  rear,  with  her  friend,  and  then 
they  rejoin  the  main  body,  and  present  the  ''  happy  father" 
with  a  fine  boy  or  girl,  as  llie  case  may  be  I  Is  it  not 
possible  that  the  progress  of  years,  if  it  bring  with  it 
civilization  and  some  alleviation  of  their  drudgery,  may 
mar  the  happiness  they  now  enjoy,  by  implantmg  wants, 
desires,  and  seeds  of  discontent,  to  which  they  are  still 
strangers  ? 

It  is  a  inelancholy  but  undoubted  fact  that  the  half- 
civilized  tribes  are  more  licentious,  treacherous,  and  de- 
based, both  m  body  and  m.ind,  than  those  who  know  the 
white  man  only  by  distant  rumour,  and  view  him  as  their 
natural  and  irreconcilable  enemy.  This,  however,  is  to 
be  attributed,  not  to  civilization  abstractedly,  nor  to  white 
man  as  a  creiuis,  but  to  whiskey,  and  the  profligate  vicious 
traders,  chiefly  Canadian  French,  who  first  introduced 
that  liquid  curse  among  them. 

I  must  now  turn  to  tiie  male  portion  of  the  common- 
wealth, and  record  a  few  particulars  regaiding  them. 
As  soon  as  the  boys  are  able  to  run  about  they  begin  to 
practise  the  bow  and  arrow  ;  and  in  the  barren  prairies, 
where  neither  bird  nor  flower  off'ers  itself  as  a  mark, 
their  constant  occupation  is  shooting  at  an  arrow  pre- 
viously sent  by  one  of  the  little  parly.  This  they  perforin 
(to  use  a  vulgar  phrase)  *' turn  about:" — A.  shoots  an 
arrow  into  the  ground,  about  ten  or  fifteen  yards  off";  B. 
shoots  at  it;  then  B.  sends  one  for  A.  to  aim  at;  and  so 
forth.  Until  they  attain  the  age  of  ten  or  eleven  they 
remain  more  or  less  under  their  mother's  control,  and  are 
made  to  help  her  in  carrymg  water,  and  in  catchmg  or 
leading  horses;  but  about  that  discreet  time  of  life  they 
begin  to  feel  the  dignity  of  their  sex,  and  to  perforin  such 
menial  offices  with  repugnance  ;  and  I  have  often  ob- 
served with  surprise  and   indignation,  that  if-  J  gave  a 

T* 


222  AN    INDIAN    DANDY. 

gun-case  or  any  kind  of  package  to  one  of  them  to  carry 
during  a  march,  before  len  minutes  he  would  transfer  it 
to  his  already  overloaded  and  submissive  mother,  and  re- 
turn to  his  bow  and  arrow  with  his  companions.  They 
delight,  also,  while  they  are  lads,  to  follow  their  elder 
brother  or  father  to  the  buffalo  hunt,  during  which  they 
keep  a  respectful  distance  in  the  rear  ;  but  as  soon  as 
the  game  is  killed,  they  assist  at  the  dissection,  and  the 
horse  on  which  they  rode  is  used  to  carry  the  meat  to 
the  camp. 

About  the  age  of  tw^enty  they  are  allow^e-d  to  hunt, 
and  seek  other  opportuniiies  for  distinction.  This  epoch 
answers  to  the  Oxonian's  first  appearance  in  London  life 
after  taking  his  B.  A.  degree.  1  have  seen  some  dan- 
dies in  my  life — English,  Scotch,  French,  German,  aye 
and  American  dandies  too  ;  l)ut  none  of  them  can  com- 
pare with  the  vanity  or  coxcombry  of  the  Pawnee  dandy. 
Jjest  any  of  the  gentry  claiming  this  distinction,  and  be- 
longing to  the  abovementioned  nations,,  should  doubt  or 
feel  aggrieved  at  this  assertion,  1  will  faithfully  narrate 
what  passed  constantly  before  my  eyes  in  our  own  tent; 
namely,  the  manner  in  which  Sa-ni-tsa-rish's  son  passed 
the  days  on  which  there  was  no  buffalo  hunt. 

He  beg^n  his  toilet,  about  eight  in  the  morning,  by 
greasing  and  smoothing  his  whole  person  with  fat,  which 
he  rubbed  afterwards  perfectly  dry,  only  leaving  the  skin 
sleek  and  glossy  ;  he  then  painted  his  face  vermilion„ 
with  a  stripe  of  red  also  along  the  centre  of  the  crown 
of  the  head  ;  he  then  proceeded  to  his  "coiffure,"  wiiich 
leceived  great  attention,  although  the  quantum  of  hair 
demanding  such  care  was  limited,  inasmuch  as  his  head 
was  shaved  close,  except  one  tuft  ai  the  top,  from  wl)ich 
hung  two  plaited  "tresses."  (Why  must  I  call  them 
"  pigtails  ?"*)     He  then  filled  his  ears,  which  were  bured 

*  The  fashion  of  wcaringr  the  hair  varies  in  every  tribe,  and  in  every 
individual  of  the  tribe,  accordinsr  to  the  fancy  of  the  person  :  but  the 
method  here  described  is  the  most  prevalent  among  ihe  Pawnees.  The 
Ricaras  ])lait  a  lona  stream  of  horse-hair  with  their  crown-tuft,  which 
floats  wildly  in  the  breeze  as  they  gallop,  and  gives  them  a  terrible  and 
picturesque  appearance.  I  have  also  been  informed  by  many  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  traders,  that  some  of  the  Crow  chiefs  (a  nation  to  the 
north-west  of  the  Ricara)  wear  hair  of  seven  and  eight  feet  long;  and  a 


HIS    TOILET.  223 

in  two  or  three  places,  with  rings   and  wampum,   and 
hung  several  strings  of  beads  round   his   neck  ;    then, 
sometimes   painting  stripes  of  vermihon  and  yellow  up- 
on his  breast  and  shoulders,  and  placing  armlets  above 
his  elbows  and  rings  upon  his  fingers,  he  proceeded  to 
adorn  the  nether  man  with   a  pair  of  moccasins,  some 
scarlet  cloth  leggins  fastened  to  his  waist-belt,  and  bound 
round  below  the  knee  with  garters  of  beads  four  inches 
broad.     Being  so  far  prepared,  he  drew  out  his  mirror, 
fitted  into  a    small  wooHen  frame,  (which   he  always, 
\vhether  hunting  or  at  home,   canied  about  his  person,) 
and  commenced  a  course  of  self-examination,  such   as 
the  severest  disciple  of  Watts,  iMason,  or  any  other  reli- 
gious  moralist,  never  equalled.     Nay  more,  if  I   were 
not  afraid    of  offending  the  softer  sex  by  venturing  to 
bring  man  into  comparison  with  them  in  an  occupation 
which  is  considered  so  peculiarly  their  own,  I  would  as- 
sert that  no  female  creaiion  of  the  poets,  from  the  time 
when  Eve  first  saw  "  that  smooth  watery  image,"  till  the 
polished  toilet  of  the  lovely  Belinda,  ever  studied   her 
own  reflected  self  witii  more  perseverance  or  satisfaction 
than  this   Pawnee  youth.     I  have  repeatedly  seen  him 
sit,  for  above  an  hour  at  a  time,  examining  his  face  in 
every  possible  position  and  expression  ;  now  frowning 
like  Homer's  Jove  before  a  thunder-storm,  now  like  the 
same  god,  described  by   Milton,  "smiling  with  superior 
love  ;"  now  slightly  varying  the  streaks  oT  paint  upon  his 
cheeks  and  forehead,  and  then  pushing  or  pulling  "each 
particular  hair"  of  his  eye-brows  into  its  most  becoming 
place  !      Could    the  youth  have  seen   anythincr  in   that 
mirror  half  so  dangerous  as  the  features  which  the  glassy 
wave  gave  back  to  the  gaze  of  the  fond  Narcissus,   I 
might  have  feared  for  his  life  or  leason  ;  but,  fortunately 
for^ihese,  they  had  only  to  contend  with  a  low  receding 
forehead,   a  nose  somewhat  aimious*  a   pair  of  small 

ffenlleman  of  character  and  education  assured  me  that  he  had  measured 
the  hair  of  one  of  them  nine  feet.  Like  the  faithful  old  Herodotus,  I  add 
«'  these  things  I  have  not  .sce/i.  but  give  thern  as  they  were  told  to  me." 
*  I  believ'e  I  can  justly  claim  the  invention  or  anfflicising  of  this 
word.  If  1  can,  I  consider  the  republic  of  letters  under  deep  obligatioii 
to  me. 


224  DECORATION    OF    HIS    HORSE. 

sharp  eyes,  with  high  cheek-bones,  and  a  broad  mouth, 
well  furnished  with  a  set  of  teeth,  which  had  at  least  the 
merit  of  demolishing  speedily  everything,  animal  or 
vegMable,  that  came  within  their  range. 

His  toilet  thus  arranged  to  liis  saiisfaction,  one  of  the 
woman  or  children  led  his  buffalo-horse  before  the  tent; 
and  he  proceeded  to  deck  his  steed,  by  pamting  his  fore- 
head, neck,  and  shoulders  with  stripes  of  vermilion,  and 
sometimes  twisted  a  few  feathers  into  his  tail.  He  then 
put  into  his  month  an  old-fashioned  bridle,  bought  or 
stolen  from  the  Spaniards,  from  the  bit  of  which  hung  six 
or  eight  steel-chains,  about  nine  inches  long  ;  while  some 
small  bells,  attached  to  the  reins,  contributed  to  render 
the  movements  of  the  steed  as  musical  as  those  of  the 
lovely  "  Sonnante,"  in  the  incomparable  tales  of  Comte 
Hamilton.! 

All  things  being  now  ready  for  the  promenade,  he 
threw  a  scarlet  mantle  over  his  shoulders ;  thrust  his 
mirror  in  below  his  belt;  took  in  one  hand  a  large  fan, 
of  wild-goose  or  turkey  feathers,  to  shield  his  fair  and 
delicate  complexion  from  the  sun  ;  while  a  whip  hung 
from  his  wrist,  having  the  handle  studded  with  brass 
nails.  Thus  accoutred,  he  mounted  his  jingling  palfrey, 
and  ambled  through  the  encampment,  envied  by  all  the 
youths  less  gay  in  attire,  attracting  the  gaze  of  the  un- 
fortunate drudges  who  represent  the  gentler  sex,  and  ad- 
mired supremely  by  himself! 

On  these  blank  days,  the  men  who  were  not  dandies 
passed  the  time  in  smoking,  feasting,  mending  and  sharp- 
ening their  knives  and  arrows,  or  in  the  javelin  game,  of 
which  last  amusement  they  are  very  fond.  It  is  played  by 
two  competitors,  each  armed  with  a  dart,  on  the  smoothest 
plot  of  grass  which  they  can  find.  The  arena  is  about 
fifty  yards  long.  They  start  from  one  end  at  full  speed  ; 
one  of  the  players  has  a  small  hoop,  of  six  inches  dia- 
meter, which,  as  soon  as  they  have  reached  the  middle 
of  the  course,  he  rolls  on  before  them  ;  and  each  then 
endeavours  to  dart  his  weapon  through  the  hoop.  He 
who  succeeds,  counts  so  many  in  the  game  ;  and  if  nei- 

t  See  Fleur-d'Epine. 


INDIAN    COURAGE.  225 

ther  pierces  it,  the  nearest  javelin  to  the  mark  is  allowed 
to  count,  but  of  course  not  so  many  points  as  if  he  had 
"  ringed  "  it. 

This  game  is  exceedingly  hard  exercise  ;  they  play 
with  many  on  a  side,  and  sometimes  for  five  and  six 
hours,  in  the  mid-heat  of  an  August  day,  without  inter- 
mission. It  is  made  subservient  to  their  taste  for  gam- 
bling; and  I  have  seen  them  lose  guns,  blankets,  and 
even  one  or  two  horses,  in  a  morning.  J  have  heard  that 
they  play  at  cards  in  their  winter-quarters,  but  cannot 
vouch  for  the  truth  of  the  assertion.  In  fact,  this  is  the 
only  game  that  I  ever  saw  among  the  Pawnees  :  but  it 
is  well  known  that  other  tribes  play  admirably  at  ball, 
after  ditferent  fashions,  one  of  which  resembles  closely 
the  English  "  hockey,"  or  Scottish  "  shinny,"  and  is 
played  with  a  hooked  stick.  However,  we  must  not  be- 
lieve that  Indian  games  are  quite  as  various  or  scientific, 
as  some  careless  authors  have  described  them.* 

The  courage  of  the  Indians  has  been  the  subject  of 
much  controversy  :  I  have  had  few  opportunities  of  form- 
ing a  practical  opinion  on  the  question.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, is  certain,  that  they  invariably  prefer  ambush  and 
artifice  to  open  attack  ;  and  the  highest  praise  is  given 
to  the  warrior  wdio  brings  home  a  few  scalps  without 
losing  a  man  ;  but  if  he  returns  with  a  number  of  scalps, 
having  lost  a  few  of  hi§  own  party,  he  obtains  mucli  "less 
praise.  No  ,one  can  deny  them  the  merit  of  passive 
courage  or  endurance.  It  would  appear  that  their  ner- 
vous system  is  much  less  irritable  than  that  of  the  whites. 
I  do  not  form  this  opinion  from  the  numberless  written 
narratives  upon  the  subject;  but  I  have  seen  and  con- 
versed with  several  Americans  who  have  been  engaged  in 
Indian  wars,  and  who  have  described  to  me  tortures  that 
they  have  beheld,  too  horrible  to  relate,  and  borne  ei- 
ther with  unflinching  silence,  or  with  a  kind  of  frantic 
exultation,  that  dared  the  torturers  to  make  the  arrow 
sharper  and  to  bring  a  hotter  firebrand.     This  may  be, 

*  I  remember,  in  an  enumeration  of  them  by  some  traveller,  quoted 
by  the  author  of  a  "  Winter  in  the  Far  West,"  to  have  found  the  w^ord 
tennis. — Query,  had  the  said  traveller  ever  seen  a  tennis-court,  or  did  h> 
know  the  njeaning  of  the  term.  1 


226  INDIAN    COURAGE. 

and  undoubtedly  is,  true  in  regard  to  inflicted  pain  ;  but 
it  certainly  is  not  true  relative  to  ihe  sufferings  of  disease, 
or  any  of  the  natural  ''  ills  ihat  flesh  is  heir  lo."  I  have 
more  than  once  seen  a  full-grown  strong-looking  Indian 
moan  and  whine  under  the  tooihach  or  colic  in  a  manner 
that,  among  us  would  shame  *'  a  sick  child."" 

Pa^-ta^-la^-cha'ro,  who  was,  I  think,  the  strongest  and 
most  formidable  Indian  in  the  camp,  sent  for  me  one  day, 
and  complained  most  grievously  of  pains  in  his  body. 
He  lay  at  full  length,  wrapped  up  in  his  buflalo-robe, 
and  sighed  and  groaned  most  piteously.  He  held  out 
his  arm  to  me,  and  made  me  signs  to  bleed  him  ;  an 
operation  w^hich  those  Indians  who  have  seen  or  heard 
of  it  among  the  whites,  are  very  fond  of  undergoing.  I 
felt  his  pulse  at  the  wrist;  it  was  regular,  firm,  and  quiet, 
J  therefore  told  him  that  he  was  not  very  bad,  and  re- 
fused to  bleed  him.  Having  only  peiformed  this  office 
once,  and  not  being  much  of  an  adept  therein,  I  never 
would  attempt  it,  except  in  cases  of  urgency  or  danger. 
However,  he  continued  his  groans,  although  I  fell  con- 
vinced that  the  only  malady  under  which  he  laboured 
was  the  effect  of  havitig  eaten  three  or  four  pounds  too 
much  buffalo  meat  or  boiled  maize.  While  I  was  still 
sitting  in  the  lodge,  the  heralds  came  round  to  cry  that 
buffalo  were  near,  and  that  the  hunters  might  mount. 
The  ypnng  chief  sprang  up,  like  a  lion  roused,  snatched 
his  bow  and  leather  quiver,  and  in  five  minutes  was  at  a 
full  gallop  over  the  prairie  ! 


THE    CHASE.  227 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Ceremonies  attendant  on  the  Buffalo  Chase. — Adventures  with  Buffalo. 
— Number  of"  Beasts  slain. — Night  Attack  of  the  Shiennes— The  Con- 
flict.— War  Songs. — A  Council — Religion. — Great  Spirits  and  other 
Deities. — Religious  Ceremonies. — Notions  of  Futurity. — Months  and 
Years. — Office  of  Soldiers. — A  "  Cerne,"  or  "  Surround." — Buffalo 
Hunt. — Preparation  of  Buffalo  Skins. — Strange  Fuel. — March  re- 
sumed — Otoe  Chief. — Deadly  Feud  between  two  Brothers. — Great 
Medicine  Feast. — Impromptu  Oration. — Indian  Eloquence.  —  Grace 
before  Meat. — Rapid  Feeding. — Method  of  Invitation  to  a  Feast. — • 
Contrasted  Temperature. — Change  in  the  Aspect  of  the  Country. 

On  the  26ih  we  started  at  four  in  the  morning,  in  the 
hope  of  finding  water  before  mid-day.  About  eight 
o'clock  the  cry  of"  tahara"  (buffalo)  aonin  echoed  through 
the  columns,  and  we  were  all  ordered  to  halt.  I  rode 
forward  to  the  head  of  the  line,  where  a  circle  was  made, 
consisting  of  the  chiefs  and  prophets.  Two  long  poles, 
belonging  to  the  "  medicine,"  and  covered  with  feathers 
and  shreds  of  cloth,  were  placed  in  the  centre,  and  an 
hour  was  spent  in  speechifying,  smoking,  and  medicine-,- 
mummery,  to  insure  a  good  day's  sport.  The  warriors, 
or  htinters,  then  went  forward,  and,  half-a-dozen  miles 
in  advance  of  the  main  body,  we  found  several  large 
herds  of  buffalo. 

Each  hunter  selected  the  herd  that  he  would  attack, 
and  we  rushed  in  upon  them  from  every  side.  It  was  a 
glorious  sight  to  see  the  naked  savages  urging  their 
horses  to  their  utmost  speed,  with  loud  cries  and  repeated 
use  of  the  cowhide  :  while  the  affrighted  and  maddened 
bulls  galloped,  or  rather  plunged,  along  the  hill-side,  only 
escaping  one  band  of  tormentors  to  fall  in  with  another. 
A  great  slaughter  ensued.  J  happened  to  have  left  my 
rifle,  on  this  occasion,  in  the  rear,  with  my  servant,  and 
was  armed  only  with  a  pistol.  However,  I  singled  out 
two  or  three  bulls  and  cows,  and  pursued  them  six  or 
seven  miles  ;  but  when  I  reached  them,  was  much  an- 


228  ADVENTURES    WITH    BUFFAFO. 

noyed  to  find  thai  no  effort  or  exertion  conld  induce  my 
steed  to  venture  near  tlienri  ;  so  I  returned  unsuccessful 
and  out  of  humour   to   the  cannp.     There  J  found  ifiat 

V had  remained  in  ihe  thick  melee  wiih  the  chiefs, 

and  had  killed,  or  helped  to  kill,  three  wilh  a  pislol.  He 
had  borrowed  a  horse  fully  trained  for  the  sport,  and  he 
could  ride  close  up  to  their  tails  ;  but  the  animal  would 
never  press  forward  enough  to  risk  an  encounter  with 
iheir  horns. 

I  was  determined  not  to  let  the  sun  set  upon  my  blood- 
guililess  head;  and,  as  it  was  only  about  two  p.  m.,  I 
moiuited  another  horse,  look  my  rifle,  and  again  set  out 
in  quest  of  adventures.  I  soon  found  a  bull  in  a  neigh- 
bouring ravine,  s-lighily  wounded  by  an  arrow  in  his  flank; 
and,  as  he  was  near  the  village,  a  large  parly  of  women 
and  children  were  answering,  at  a  respectful  distance, 
his  roaring  and  bellowing  by  their  shouts  and  cries. 
They  told  me  to  go  and  kill  him.  As  the  horse  1  had 
then  mounted  would  not  allow  me  to  shoot  from  his  back, 
I  dismounted  and  shot  a  bullet  into  the  bull's  shoulder  ; 
after  a  short  interval,  he  tottered  and  fell.  I  thought  that 
he  was  just  about  to  die,  and  imprudently  walked  up 
nearer  to  him.  To  my  surprise,  he  sprung  up  and  made 
at  me  ;  I  waited  till  he  came  within  two  or  three  yards, 
then  fired  my  second  barrel,  and  jiunped  on  one  side. 
He  passed  over  the  place  I  had  ceded  to  him,  and,  after 
staggering  on  a  short  distance,  he  fell  again.  J  reloaded 
my  rifle,  and  was  obliged  to  fire  another  ball,  which  put 
him  out  of  his  pain  ;  and  then  I  left  him  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  women  and  children,  and,  mounting  my 
horse,  cantered  over  the  hills,  in  search  of  more  game. 

I  was  soon  aware  of  a  fine  bull,  enjoying  its  solitary 
range  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  I  gave 
chase,  and  after  a  gallop  of  two  or  three  miles,  I  came 
alongside  the  enemy  ;  but  my  Indian  nag  would  not 
allow  me  to  shoot  off  his  back  ;  the  moment  I  presented 
my  rifle,  he  would  wheel  and  jump,  so  as  to  preclude 
all  possibility  of  taking  aim.  'J'he  bull  chased  me  about 
fifty  yards,  but  finding  he  had  no  chance  of  overtaking 
me,  slopped  and  slamped.  I  dismounted,  and  a  pitched 
battle  now  ensued,  in  which  Purday's  double-barrel  ulli- 


NUMBER    OP  BEASTS    SLAIN.  229 

inately  gained  the  day  ;  but  I  never  met  with  an  animal 
so  tenacious  of  life.  He  did  not  fall  till  he  received  my 
fourth  ball  in  the  heart ;  two  having  pierced  him  before, 
not  more  than  three  inches  from  the  heart,  and  one  hav- 
ing entered  his  eye,  which  I  aimed  at,  in  the  expectation 
of  thereby  reacliing  his  brain. 

I  now  returned  to  the  camp,  satisfied  with  my  day's 
sport.  I  might  have  killed  three  times  as  many  with 
half  the  trouble,  had  I  chosen  to  remain  with  the  chiefs 
in  the  centre  of  the  "  cerne,"  and  assist  in  the  medley- 
massacre  ;  but  I  could  see  no  sport  or  excitement  in  a 
scene  resembling  too  closely  the  shambles ;  besides 
^t'hich,  it  is  impossible  to  have  the  undivided  glory,  as 
the  greater  number  are  pierced  by  three  or  four  arrows, 
and  you  must  either  kill  some  other  hunter's  wounded 
buffalo,  or  let  him  kill  what  you  have  wounded,  neither 
of  which  alternatives  a  sportsman  would  choose  to  adopt. 
I  cannot  say  exactly  the  amount  of  the  day's  slaughter, 
but  it  was  between  five  and  six  hundred. 

Soon  after  our  return  from  hunting  I  was  invited  to  a 
feast,  where  I  tasted  a  most  luxurious  dish,  being  the 
udder  of  a  young  cow^;  it  was  well  boiled,  and  was  ex- 
tremely sweet  and  delicate  food. 

In  the  evening,  the  elders,  or  medicine-men,  went 
round  the  encampment,  uttering  loud  cries,  (which  were 
meant  to  express  their  gratitude  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  a 
plentiful  supply  of  buffalo),  and  carrying  a  portion  of 
the  meat  to  the  old  and  infirm  who  were  not  able  to 
hunt,  and  who  had  no  young  man  in  their  lodge  to  supply 
them  with  provision. 

About  ten  o'clock  at  night,  after  we  had  all  betaken 
ourselves  to  our  bear  or  buffalo-skins,  and  the  camp  was 
as  still  as  a  Pawnee  camp  can  be,  a  sudden  yell  or  shout 
was  raised,  v/hich  reached  the  inmost  recess  of  every 
lodge — "  Charicks  waikta  !"  "  The  enemy  are  upon  us  !" 
In  a  moment  all  was  confusion  and  bustle.  The  tent  of 
my  old  chief  was  pitched  at  the  western  extremity  of 
the  "  village,"  and  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from 
a  small  wooded  ravine.  The  hostile  band  had  contrived 
to  elude  the  vigilance  of  our  outposts,  and  to  reach  this 
place   of  concealment   undiscovered;  consequently  our 

Vol.  1— U 


230  NIGHT  ATTACK. 

predicament  would  have  been  a  dangerous  one,  had  they 
possessed  sufficient  force  to  profit  by  this  advantage,  or 
had  our  warriors  allowed  them  time  to  improve  it.  But 
it  was  beautiful  to  see  the  readiness  and  rapidity  with 
which  our  Pawnees  were  prepared  to  meet  them.  Each 
man's  bow  and  quiver  were  at  his  head;  the  laryette 
which  secured  his  horse  served  for  a  bridle;  and  in  two 
minutes  from  the  time  when  the  alarm  was  given,  the 
warriors  and  Braves  were  at  full  speed  in  the  direction 
of  the  enemy.  I  jumped  up  from  my  bear-skin,  and 
with  a  brace  of  pistols  in  my  belt,  a  stout  hunting-knife 
at  my  side,  and  a  double-rifle  in  my  hand,  lost  not  a 
moment  in  joining  my  old  friend,  the  chief,  at  the  door 
of  his  lodge.  My  first  care  was  to  secure  my  horses, 
which,  scared  by  the  firing,  yelling,  and  galloping  around 
ihem,  struggled  with  all  the  power  of  terror  and  excite- 
ment to  get  free  from  their  fastenings  :  fortunately  I  had 
caused  them  all  to  be  doubly  secured  and  hobbled,  so 
that  none  of  them  got  away.  I  then  inquired  of  the 
chief  hov/  I  could  be  useful,  and  he  pointed  to  the  lodge, 
and  the  women  and  children,  giving  me  to  understand 
that  [  must  stay  and  protect  them.  Indeed,  there  was 
nothing  else  for  me  to  do;  inasmuch  as  had  I  sallied  out 
in  the  dark  with  the  others,  I  could  not  distinguish  friend 
from  foe,  and  should  have  been  as  likely  to  shoot  the 
former  as  the  latter. 

Standing  thus  quietly  on  the  defensive,  I  had  leisure 
to  enjoy  the  wild  beauty  of  the  scene  before  me.  The 
shrill  and  savage  war-cry  raised  by  a  thousand  voices — 
the  neighing,  struggling,  and  trampling  of  the  excited 
horses,  mingled  with  the  howling  of  dogs,  and  the  irregu- 
lar firing  of  their  guns,  with  which  the  Pawnees  directed 
and  cheered  their  warriors  to  the  scene  of  action — formed 
a  wild  and  exciting  comoination  of  sounds  ;  while  the 
groups  of  women  and  children  gathered  round  the  pale 
and  expiring  lires,  and  the  tall  dark  figure  of  the  old 
chief,  standing  with  his  arms  calmly  folded  beside  me, 
served  admirably  to  fill  the  interesting  and  picturesque 
fore-ground.  At  first,  the  shouts  and  yells  approached 
— then  they  receded — then  again  they  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  for  a  few  minutes,  I  thought  we  might  have 


WAR-SONGS.  231 

a  skirmish  before  our  lodge  (which  v/as,  as  I  before  said, 
at  the  very  extremity  of  the  encampment).  My  rifle 
was  ready  with  two  bullets,  each  of  an  ounce  weight ; 
and  as  our  fire  had  been  refreshed,  so  as  to  throw  light 
upon  an  advancing  party,  I  felt  pretty  sure  that  two  of 
them  would  pay  the  penalty  of  a  near  approach.  But  I 
was  not  destined  either  to  take  or  lose  a  scalp  on  this 
occasion  ;  the  Pawnees  were  too  strong  and  too  active 
for  their  opponents ;  the  yells  became  gradually  more 
faint  and  indistinct;  and  at  length  the  occasional  dis- 
charge of  a  gun  at  a  distance  was  the  only  audible  sign 
of  conflict  or  pursuit. 

I  was  anxious  to  find  out  who  these  fellows  were  who 
had  dared  to  attack  the  Pawnees  in  their  full  encamp- 
inent,  and  learned  from  the  first  warriors  wiio  returned 
that  they  were  Shiennes,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  or 
two  hundred  in  number,  who  had  made  this  bold  attempt 
to  seize  a  number  of  the  Pawnee  horses ;  at  least,  it  is 
impossible  to  believe  that  they  could  from  any  other  mo- 
tive have  ventured,  with  a  handful  of  men,  to  attack  a 
camp  containing  above  a  thousand  warriors,  as  well  or 
better  armed  than  themselves. 

The  Pawnees,  in  making  the  Shienne  sign,  pretend  to 
saw  the  left  arm  with  the  fore-finger  of  the  left-hand; 
thereby  denoting  the  marks  which  distinguish  that  tribe.* 
They  are  a  warlike,  marauding  nation,  who  frequent  the 
plains  watered  by  the  sources  of  the  Plaite  and  Arkan- 
sas, towards  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains :  they 
are  generally  at  war  with  the  Pawnees. 

As  far  as  I  could  hear,  they  escaped  without  losing 
any  of  their  party.  As  soon  as  their  first  attempt  at 
surprise  failed,  they  fled  at  full  speed  ;  and  the  darkness 
of  the  night  rendered  pursuit  ineffectual,  if  not  impossi- 
ble. I  presume  that  the  Pawnees  guessed  their  number 
by  their  horse-tracks  in  the  morning;  but  possibly  they 
were  not  very  anxious  to  detach  a  body  to  follow  them, 
as  they  did  not  know  whether  the  Shiennes  might  not 
have  a  considerable  force  to  retire  upon  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. 

*  The  reader,  who  is  curious  about  the  Indian  language  of  signs,  is 

referred  to  the  Appendix. 


232  COUNCIL. 

In  a  short  time,  all  was  again  still  in  the  camp  ;  no- 
thing stirred,  save  here  and  there  the  dusky  fignre  of 
some  returning  warrior  who  had  followed  the  enemy 
farther  than  his  comrades  ;  and  no  sound  met  the  ear, 
except  the  low  and  monotonous  war-song  chanted  by 
some  of  the  Braves  as  they  lay  enveloped  in  their  blank- 
ets on  the  side  of  a  small  hill  commanding  the  encamp- 
ment. I  was  very  sorry  that  I  had  no  intelligent  inter- 
preter from  whom  I  could  obtain  a  translation  of  these 
Indian  lyrics.  I  did  contrive,  with  the  aid  of  the  half- 
Frenchman,  to  gather  a  few  phrases  which  may  serve 
to  illustrate  the  character  of  the  whole.  "  I  rushed  upon 
my  enemy  like  a  buffalo  ! — I  shouted  my  war-cry  aloud  ! 
— Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi !  &c. — I  took  his  scalp  i — His  women 
howl  for  him  in  their  lodge  ! — I  am  a  great  war-chief ! 
—I  am  called  the  Black  Wolf !— Hi-hi-hi-hi !"  These, 
and  similar  effusions  of  savage  simplicity,  form  the  soli- 
tary chant  of  a  Paw^nee  warrior. 

On  the  following  morning  their  blood  was  boiling  with 
resentment  at  the  affront  which  they  had  received.  A 
council  was  held,  but  they  carefully  concealed  their  de- 
termination from  me ;  so  that  I  have  little  doubt  that  re- 
prisals of  some  kind  w^ere  carried  nem.  con.  But  of  the 
measures  which  they  adopted  I  remained  in  total  igno- 
rance. Doubtless,  they  considered  me  somewhat  in  the 
light  of  a  spy  ;  for  when  I  inquired  whether  they  had 
taken  any  scalps,  or  lost  any  men  in  the  skirmish  of  the 
preceding  night,  they  either  pretended  not  to  understand, 
or  made  the  sign  of  "mystery"  or  "silence,"  by  placing 
the  hand  before  the  lips,  and  then  extending  it  with  the 
palm  toward  me.  Even  from  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  who  was 
usually  very  communicative,  and  gave  me  lessons  in  his 
language  daily,  I  could  gain  no  information  on  this  sub- 
ject. 

As  they  remained  for  a  day  or  two  drying  and  cutting 
up  their  meat,  I  employed  myself  in  endeavouring  to  gel 
some  idea  of  their  religious  tenets  and  superstitions. 
These  are  at  best  vague  and  undefined  :  to  those  who 
understand  their  language  ihey  cannot  explain  the  theory 
of  their  belief,  and  the  only  method  of  attaining  any 
knowledge  of  the  subject  is,  by  attentive  examination 


DIVISION  OP  THE  YEAR.  233 

•tnd  careful  comparison  of  the  leading-features  of  their 
practice  and  ceremonial  observances.  As  far  as  I  can 
learn,  their  idea  of  a  Divinity  is  a  single  presiding  Being 
or  Spirit,  generally  benevolent,  but  changeable,  accord- 
ing to  the  supplies  or  offerings  which  he  receives  of  buf- 
falo, of  vi'hich  they  dedicate  considerable  portions  to  him, 
(No  small  part  of  this  dedicated  meat  is  consumed  by 
the  medicine-men.)  Besides  this  Supreme  Spirit,  they 
believe  in  others  of  an  inferior  caste,  (like  the  secondary 
gods  in  the  Greek  and  Egyptian,  or  the  genii  and  gnomes 
in  the  Eastern  mythology,)  in  whom  they  imagme  re- 
semblances to  different  kinds  of  animals,  as  buffalo,  deer, 
bears,  &;c.  Each  man  considers  himself  under  the  pecu- 
liar care  of  one  of  these  inferior  deiiies ;  and  in  seasons 
of  peril,  grief,  joy,  or  any  other  strong  excitement,  he 
will  work  himself  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  and 
imitate  his  tutelary  spirit,  either  by  creeping  and  growl- 
ing like  a  bear,  or  roaring  and  stamping  like  a  buffalo, 
and  so  forth. 

They  never  eat  or  smoke  without  making  a  first-offer- 
ing to  the  Great  Spirit.  At  a  feast  or  ordinary  meal,  the 
first  spoonful  of  maize  or  morsel  of  meat  is  placed  on 
the  grass  for  his  use  ;  and,  when  they  smoke,  the  first 
whiff  is  puffed  upward  in  honour  of  him  ;  and  generally 
the  two  succeeding,  one  on  the  right,  the  other  on  the 
left,  to  the  buffalo,  or  some  other  spirit.  In  regard  to 
futurity,  they  believe  that,  if  they  have  been  bold  hunters 
and  brave  warriors,  they  will,  after  death,  inhabit  a 
country  where  buffalo  will  be  plentiful,  and  where  the 
chase,  the  feast,  and  the  pipe,  will  form  their  only  occu- 
pation. 

They  divide  their  year  into  twelve  months,  of  thirty 
days,  to  each  of  which  they  give  a  name,  descriptive  of 
its  peculiar  produce,  or  occupation,  as  "the  corn  month" 
— "  the  cold  month" — "  the  sowing  month" — "  the  hot 
month" — "  the  buffalo  month,"  &c.;  but  I  find  that,  with 
some  other  Indian  tribes,  the  year  consists  of  six  months ; 
and  the  spring  hunt  and  the  winter  hunt  make  the  two 
years.*  * 

*  A  similar  method  of  naming  the  months  obtains  amonjs:  the  tribes 
inhabiting  the  regions  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  as  the  Ojjibeways, 

u* 


234  SOLDIERS. 

The  2Bth  of  July,  which  was  a  beantifal  day  for  buf- 
falo hunting,  was  entirely  lost,  (although  the  animals 
were  close  to  the  encampment  and  the  wind  favourable,) 
owing  to  the  superstitious  folly  of  the  Indians,  or  lather, 
perhaps,  to  the  intrigues  of  the  chiefs.  After  going 
through  a  ceremony  somewhat  similar  to  the  Heathen 
augury,  the  Great  Spirit  was  declared  by  the  medicine- 
men to  be  unpropitious  for  a  hunt,  and  most  of  the  day 
was  consumed  in  electing  "  soldiers."  This  is  the  third 
class,  or  caste,  among  the  Pawnees,  having  their  rank 
next  to  the  braves  ;  their  office  is  to  watch  the  buffalo 
herds  and  the  encam.pment,  and  to  prevent  any  individual 
of  their  own,  or  another  nation,  from  hunting  without 
their  permission  ;  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty  they  are 
authorized  to  give  a  severe  flogging,  with  whips  of  buf- 
falo-hide, to  any  one,  even  a  chief,  who  transgresses  the 
rules.  These  soldiers,  under  the  direction  of  the  great 
chief  and  the  medicine,  have  the  management  of  the 
hunt ;  and  as  there  existed  some  jealousy  between  the 
Grand  and  the  Republican  Pawnees,  they  could  not  settle 
which  party  should  take  the  lead  on  this  occasion  in  ap- 
pointing the  soldiers,  and  the  day  was  lost  in  disputing. 

As  far  as  my  opportunities  enable  me  to  judge,  the 
Republicans  are  more  dangerous  and  mere  given  to  thiev- 
ing than  any  other  bcaid  of  Pawnees.  A  "  cerne,"  or 
*'  surround,"  in  this  part  of  tha  wilderness,  requires  a 
great  deal  of  arrangement  to  render  it  successful ;  and 
strange  to  say,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  Indians  have 
much  less  sagacity  in  this  method  of  hunting  than  wdiite 
men.  The  outHne  of  the  plan  is  simple  enough;  it  is 
merely  to  find  out  accurately  the  position  of  the  herd  de- 


Menomenees  (or  wild  rice-eaters),  &c.  They  divide  the  year  into  a 
certain  number  of  moons,  some  of  which  are  called  after  particular  ber- 
ries that  ripen  at  the  season,  as  "  Ota-ha-mene  Kezus,"  the  wild-straw- 
berry moon — "  Meno-me-he,  ka-we  Kezus,"  the  wild-rice  gathering 
moon,"  &c.  Other  months  are  called  in  a  similar  manner,  "  Leaf-fall- 
ing moon,"  "  Deer-rutting  moon,"  "  Ice-moon,"  &c.  Maclienzie  says 
that  the  Knisteneaux,  who,  like  the  abovementioned  tribes,  are  a  branch 
of  the  Algonkin  race  or  nation,  name  most  of  their  months  after  diffe- 
rent animals,  as  "  the  moon  when  birds  lay  eggs" — the  moon  when 
birds  cast  feathers" — "  the  moon  when  the  moose  sheds  his  horns,"  dec. 
Vide  "  jMackenzie's.  History  of  the  Fur  Trade,"  p.  100. 


BUFFALO  HUNT.  235 

voted  to  destruction,  and  then  to  send  out  distant  parties, 
"which  are  simuUaneously  to  approach  fronn  ditierent 
points,  and  hem  them  in  on  every  side.  This  operation 
is  easy  on  level  giound;  but  the  country  we  now  tra- 
versed was  abrupt  and  hilly,  full  of  deep,  sandy,  and 
broken  ravines  ;  thus  the  approaching  parlies  were  often 
concealed  from  the  view  of  each  other;  some  would 
press  on  too  quickly,  others  arrive  too  late,  and  frequently 
hundreds  of  buffalo  escaped,  without  a  shor,  through 
some  steep  gorge  or  valley,  which  had  not  been  observed 
nor  guarded. 

The  buffalo,  huge  and  unwieldy  as  he  is,  goes  over 
the  ground  at  a  rate  which  is  surprising  ;  he  bounds  along 
with  large  though  clumsy  strides  ;  and  in  a  rough  country 
he  dashes  down  the  steep  sides  of  the  broken  ravines, 
making  the  dust,  ihe  sand,  and  the  stones,  fly  around 
him,  with  a  furious  rapidity,  that  defies  the  pursuit  of  a 
rider  who  has  any  regard  for  the  neck  of  his  horse  or  for 
himself.  The  female,  the  constant  object  of  the  hunter, 
from  the  superior  quality  and  tenderness  of  her  flesh,  is 
beyond  all  comparison  swifter  than  the  male  ;  she  can 
run  nearly  three  miles  to  his  two,  and  gives  a  very  fair 
chase  to  a  horse  of  middling  speed,  fed  only  on  grass^ 
and  carrying  a  man  of  ordinary  size.  Moreover,  the  In- 
dians have  neither  mercy  nor  consideration  for  their  un- 
fortunate steeds  :  they  ride  with  reckless  fur}?-,  and  often 
bring  them  exhausted  and  breathless  to  charge  a  fresh 
buffalo.  On  these  occasions  their  temerity  is  sometimes 
rewarded  by  severe  wounds,  sometimes  by  death  ;  but 
the  latter  is  not  often  the  case,  so  great  are  their  activity 
and  fleetness  of  foot  should  their  horse  be  killed.  In  the 
last  hunt  which  I  described,  two  horses  were  gored  to 
death,  and  one  Indian  had  his  arm  broken. 

On  the  29th  July,  the  whole  village  was  like  one  work- 
shop, the  women  being  all  employed  in  cleaning  and  pre- 
paring the  skins,  which  was  not  a  matter  of  much  im- 
portance at  ihis  season,  as  the  hair  on  the  buffalo  is,  ac- 
cording to  the  usual  provision  of  nature,  poorer  and 
shorter  in  the  summer  than  in  the  winter.  The  skins 
which  they  prepare  in  the  former,  are  chiefly  used  in  the 
construction  of  their  lodges,  the  making  of  laryettes  and 


236  STRANGE  FUEL. 

thongs,  as  well  as  of  wrappers  for  bales,  &c.  It  u.^^ 
not  be  uninteresting  to  record  their  process  of  prepara- 
tion. They  first  take  the  skin  and  stretch  it  in  the  sun, 
fixing  it  by  snnall  wooden  pegs,  driven  through  iis  border 
all  round,  into  the  earth  :  when  thoroughly  dry,  they 
scrape  all  the  hair  fronn  one  side  and  the  scurfy  horny 
matter  from  the  other,  with  a  kind  of  crooked  chisel, 
made  sometimes  of  hard  wood,  more  frequenlly  of  part 
of  the  leg-bone  of  the  buffaio  :  they  then  proceed  to 
soften  the  skin  by  spreading  over  it  brains  or  any  other 
mucilage  which  they  can  procure.  The  skins  thus  pre- 
pared are  pliant  and  convenient  materials  for  a  lodge  or 
tent,  and  resist  the  wet  tolerably  well.  The  process  of 
preparation  for  the  buffalo-robe  in  autumn  and  winter, 
is  something  similar  as  regards  the  inside  of  the  skin  :  a 
good  one  is  worth,  at  any  of  the  Missouri  agencies,  ihree 
dollars  and  a  half;  at  St.  Louis,  five  ;  and  at  one  of  the 
atlan'tic  cities,  from  six  and  a  half  to  ten,  according  to  the 
quality  :  the  best  are  those  made  from  animals  killed  in 
October,  as  the  hair  is  then  young,  fine,  and  soft. 

On  the  evening  of  the  29th,  both  my  laryettes  (which 
were  very  strong  and  valuable  of  their  kind)  were  stolen 
from  my  two  horses,  though  tied  not  more  than  thirty 
yards  from  the  front  of  our  lodge.  I  should  have  been 
angry,  had  I  not  felt  grateful  that  the  rogues  had  not 
taken  the  horses  also  ! 

The  wood  in  this  region  was  extremely  scarce,  and 
the  unforlunate  squaws  were  rambling  in  all  directions 
to  collect  buffalo-dung  dried  in  the  sun  ;  of  this  strange 
fuel  they  brought  in  a  great  quantity  :  when  once  tho- 
roughly ignited,  it  burns  very  well,  emits  a  strong  heat, 
and  its  smell  is  not  so  offensive  as  might  be  expected ; 
nevertheless,  T  did  not  feel  disposed  to  follow  the  exam- 
ple of  my  red  friends,  who  squatted  close  round  it  in  a 
circle,  and  threw  on  it  thick  slices  of  buffalo  meat,  which 
they  allowed  to  roast  there  for  a  minute  or  two,  in  ac- 
tual contact  with  the  fuel,  when  they  picked  them  out 
with  iheir  knives,  and  thus  dined  ! 

On  the  .30th,  the  Great  Spirit  was  still  unpropitious, 
and  I  had  leisure  to  pursue  my  inquiries  into  the  struc- 
ture of  the  Pawnee  language. 


OTOE    CHIEF.  237 

We  broke  up  our  encampment  late  in  the  evening 
and  travelled  till  ten  at  night,  when  we  lay  down  on  the 
prairie  without  lodges,  fire,  water,  or  food  ;  started  the 
following  morning  at  three,  and  marched  about  ten  miles 
dne  south,  when  we  pitched  our  camp  by  a  small  stream- 
let. We  were  oblis^ed  to  pursue  this  southern  course, 
as  the  Indians  informed  me  that  neither  firewood  nor 
water  was  to  be  obtained  in  a  more  westerly  direction  ; 
and  wo  must  hereafter  make  a  south-eastern  m.arch  in 
order  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  sources  of  the  Saline  ri- 
ver, and  other  streams  falling  into  the  Kanzas,  and  divid- 
ed from  the  upper  waters  of  the  Arkansas,  by  a  high 
narrow  ridge  of  country  which  now  lay  immediately 
before  us. 

The  Pawnees  being  at  peace  with  the  Oioes,  had  al- 
lowed a  small  band  of  that  tribe  to  hunt  with  ihem  this 
season  :  they  were  led  by  their  chief  lotan,  whose  name 
is  well-known  to  all  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  western  tribes.  The  story  of  his  deadly  feud 
with  his  elder  brother,  in  which  the  latter  bit  off  his  nose, 
and  afterward  fell  by  his  rifle,  has  often  been  repeated 
to  me  ;  once,  indeed,  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  brawl. 
The  elder  brother  had  repeatedly  insulted  and  even  beat 
the  lotan,  as  he  was  a  man  of  greater  stature  and  per- 
sonal strength;  but  the  lotan  is  a  brave  and  haughty 
warrior,  and  the  biting  off  his  nose  was  an  outrage  not 
to  be  pardoned  even  in  a  brother  ;  accordingly,  he  re- 
venged it,  and  never  attempted  to  fly,  but  awaited  the 
sentence  of  the  council  of  Braves,  which  terminated  in 
his  being  elected  chief  in  his  brother's  place.  This 
chief  is  highly  esteemed,  and  has  taken  many  scalps  in 
his  early  days  ;  and  even  now,  the  fifty-five  or  sixty  years 
which  have  passed  over  him,  have  neither  dimmed  the 
fire  of  his  eye  nor  stiffened  the  elasticity  of  his  joints. 
He  is  accompanied  by  four  or  five  of  his  braves  and  by 
one  of  his  wives.  These  men  are  more  civilized  than 
the  Pawnees,  and  I  believe  affect  to  despise  them  ;  but 
in  horsemanship,  as  well  as  in  wild  picturesque  appear- 
ance and  habits,  they  are  very  inferior.  Old  lotan  is 
upon  very  friendly  terms  with  the  whites  :  he  speaks  a 
few  w^ords  of  English  ;  and  I  learned  from  him  some- 


238  GREAT    MEDICINE    CHIEF. 

thing  of  his  language :  he  is  a  brave,  daring,  and  3'et  a 
quiet  chief — but,  alas  !  he  has  been  corrupted  by  the 
poison  of  the  whiskey  bottle. 

I  went  this  day  (.-51st)  to  a  great  medicine  feast  of 
chiefs,  including  all  the  principal  warriors  of  the  grand 
Pawnees,  ihe  Tapages,  the  Loups,  and  the  Otoe  Chief. 
As  usual  in  such  cases,  the  feast  consisted  of  only  one 
kind  of  food,  and  the  number  of  wooden  bowls  and  buf- 
falo-horn spoons  indicated  that  fifty  guests  were  expected 
to  empty  an  enormous  caldron  of  maize,  which  was  boil- 
ing on  a  fire  before  the  lodge  :  no  excuses  of  illness  or 
occupation  are  ever  offered  or  accepted  ;  and  if  one  guest 
happens  to  be  absent,  the  party,  however  numerous  it 
may  be,  must  patiently  await  his  arrival.  On  this  oc- 
casion we  waited  an  hour  and  a  half  before  the  assem- 
blage was  complete,  during  which  the  medicine  pipe 
went  solemnly  and  regularly  round,  and  the  monotonous 
dignity  of  silence  was  rather  heightened  than  diminished 
by  the  volumes  of  Kinnekenik  smoke  which  hovered 
lazily  over  the  motionless  group.  When  the  last  guest 
had  arrived,  we  were  seated  in  two  rows,  each  consist- 
ing of  twenty-five  persons,  face  to  face,  like  a  sedentary 
country  dance,  and  the  ceremony  was  commenced  by  an 
impromptu  oration  from  an  aged  medicine-man  selected 
by  the  great  chief. 

This  speech  was  an  euloginm  on  the  giver  of  the  feast, 
narrating  the  deeds  of  his  father,  and  concluding  with  an 
enumeration  of  his  own  prowess  in  battle,  and  generosity 
in  furnishing  the  banquet.  The  orator  spoke  with  great 
fluency,  and  with  a  mixture  of  simplicity  and  digrn'ty, 
which  gave  a  pleasing  effect  to  that  which  was  in  reality 
little  more  than  fulsome  and  reiterated  flattery.  A  great 
portion  of  his  oration  was  in  the  form  of  question,  or 
appeal  to  the  audience  ;  such  as,  "  Was  not  his  father 
a  great  chief  among  the  people  ? — was  he  not  called  '  the 
bear  who  walks  at  night?' — Is  not  this  chief  like  his  fa- 
ther ? — has  he  not  slain  men  ? — is  not  his  medicine-bag 
full  ? — is  not  his  hand  open  to  us  now  ? — is  not  his 
tongue  single  ?"  Such  was  the  tenour  of  his  language, 
according  to  what  1  could  gather,  and  to  such  informa- 
tion as  I  could  gain  from  the  interpreter.     At  the  con- 


IMPROMPTU    ORATION.  239 

elusion  of  each  of  these  questions  he  made  a  pause  ; 
and  his  audience  testified  their  assent  with  the  customary 
interjection  "  Hou  !  hou  !"  which  they  continued  a  few 
moments  after  he  had  ceased,  in  a  manner  less  noisy,  but 
similar  to  the  "  hears"  which  gratify  a  speaker  in  the 
House  of  Commons  when  he  resumes  his  seat. 

Other  orators,  selected  apparently  by  acclamation, 
though  quietly  and  without  confusion,  followed  in  a  like 
strain  ;  and  the  feature  most  remarkable  in  their  style  of 
speaking  was  the  total  absence  of  hesitation,  and  the 
apparent  facility  and  fluency  of  their  enunciation. 

There  is  great  beauty  of  modulation  in  the  tones  of 
an  Indian  orator's  voice,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  have 
never  in  civilized  life  heard  one  that  combined  so  much 
terrible  fierceness  with  the  softest  and  gentlest  accents. 
The  transition  from  one  to  the  other  iS^rapid,  but  not 
ungraceful,  because  the  whole  man  is  imbued  with  his 
subject ;  and  while  the  praise  of  hospitality,  or  a  "  single 
tongue,"  is  delivered  with  a  grave  and  gentle  demeanour, 
the  threatenings  of  revenge,  the  recital  of  a  bloody  fray, 
and  the  declamation  of  angry  invective,  transform  the 
orator  into  a  fierce  warrior;  his  eye  becomes  red  and 
dilated — the  veins  on  his  forehead  start  into  ridges  like 
cordage,  while  the  muscular  heaving  of  the  advanced 
and  swollen  chest,  give  full  effect  to  the  rapid  utterance 
of  the  lips  and  the  terrible  loudness  of  the  voice. 

To  return  to  our  feast.  As  soon  as  these  orations 
were  concluded,  twenty-five  large  wooden  bowls  of  maize 
w^ere  placed  before  the,  guests,  two  spoons  being  placed 
in  each  bowl,  and  the  messmates  being  vis-a-vis,  and  not 
side  by  side.  Before  a  morsel  was  tasted,  the  first  chief  set 
apart  one  large  spoonful,  and  gave  it  to  the  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  or  the  officiating  medicine-man,  who  made 
with  his  seal  ping-knife  two  small  holes  in  the  earth  ;  and 
having  divided  the  spoonful  of  maize  into  two  unequal 
portions,  the  larger  of  which  was  dedicated  to  the  buffalo 
(subordinate  spirit),  the  smaller  to  the  Great  Spirit,  he 
turned  to  the  east,  and  three  times  bowed  his  body,  at 
the  same  time  raising  and  lowering  his  hands  :  then 
agair^  he  turned  to  the  guests,  and  went  through  the  same 
ceremonial  of  benediction,  after  which  the  work  of  de- 
molition began. 


240  RAPID    FEEDING. 

In  many  of  ihe  feasts  which  I  had  previously  attend- 
ed, I  had  been  led  to  admire  the  capacity  and  perseve- 
rance of  hungry  Indians,  but  I  had  never  before  been 
witness  to  a  trial  of  speed  such  as  the  present.  On 
ordinary  occasions,  the  Pawnee  rule  of  etiquette  is,  that 
when  ihe  invited  guests  have  eaten  as  njuch  as  they 
please  of  the  meal  set  before  them,  he  among  them  who 
came  in  last,  and  occupies  the  place  farthest  from  the 
host — usually  the  extreme  left — takes  the  remainder, 
whether  it  be  buffalo  meat  or  maize,  and  carries  it  back 
to  the  women  of  his  lodge  ;  an  omission  of  this  usage 
is  considered  an  incivility^ ;  but  on  the  present  occasion 
the  rule  was,  not  only  that  every  thing  must  be  eaten  on 
the  spot,  but  should  also  be  devoured  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble;  and  those  Vvho  were  last  in  this  masticatory  or  di- 
gestive race,  v/ere  laughed  at  and  lightly  esteemed  by 
their  competitors.*  The  bowls  held  about  three  quarts 
each  of  boiled  maize,  which,  from  protracted  simmering 
over  the  fire,  had  acquired  a  consistency  between  that  of 
porridge  and  paste  :  this  glutinous  mass  was  to  be  swal- 
lowed without  the  aid  of  milk,  salt,  water,  or  any  other 
assistant  whatsoever ;  and,  to  crown  my  misfortunes,  I 
had  already  been  to  two  common  feasts,  and  had  taken 
my  usual  quantum  of  dinner  before  I  received  this  great 
medicine-invitation. 

Of  course,  my  first  impulse  was  to  cast  an  inquiring 
look  at  the  corporeal  proportions  of  the  partner  whom 
fate  (or  rather  the  great  chief)  had  allotted  to  me  in  the 
approaching  trial,  in  the  hope  that  my  eye  might  rest 
upon  some  lanky  capacious  man,  who  might  have,  like 
Cassius,  "  a  lean  and  hungry  look  ;"  but  alas  !  it  fell 
upon  the  round  and  good-humoured  countenance  of  a 
plump  little  chief,  who  had  accompanied  us  from  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and  whom  I  knew,  from  the  circumstance 
of  his  father  having  saved  the  life  of  my  friend  Captain 

C ,  of  the  United  States'  arm}^,  on  an  occasion  when 

he  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a 
hostile  Pawnee  party.  My  "  fat  friend"  gave  me  to  un- 
derstand that  his  stomach  was  not  in  fighting  order,  and  I 

*  For  a  similar  custom  among  the  Knietcneaux  Indians,  see  Appendix. 


RAPID    FEEDING.  241 

cast  a  rueful  glance  ai  ihe  great  bowl  before  me,  revolving 
in  my  mind  the  various  gastric  feats  pertormed  by  Jack 
the  Giant-killer,  Fortunio's  follower,  and  other  heroes 
celebrated  m  nursery  legends  ;  but  there  was  hitle  time 
for  reflection — the  signal  was  given,  and  the  onset  com- 
menced. 

1  liave  read  in  travel  volumes,  and  I  have  seen  in- 
stances, of  the  extraordinary  speed  with  whicli  the  mixed 
company  at  crowded  American  hotels  or  steam-boat  dui- 
ners  can  clear  a  well-loaded  table  ;  but  here  ihey  would 
have  been  distanced,  and  beaien  beyond  all  comparison. 
Neither  do  I  believe  that  any  of  ihem,  from  a  Yankee 
pedler  to  a  Keniucky  boaiman  inclusive,  could  have 
demoHshed  one-third  of  the  mess  in  the  allotted  time. 
In  all  my  intercourse  with  the  Pawnees,  I  made  it  a  rule 
to  humour  their  prejudices,  and  to  accommodate  myself 
to  iheir  usages,  however  absurd.  Moreover,  I  endea- 
voured 10  make  them  believe  that  I  could  surpass  them 
in  anything  which  I  chose  to  attempt.  I  had  contrived 
to  give  currency  to  this  belief,  by  engaging  some  of  tiieir 
strongest  men  in  the  exercise  of  throwing,  or  "putting," 
a  heavy  stone,  to  wliich  tliey  were  altogether  unaccus- 
tomed ;  and,  more  than  once,  by  shooting  wuh  them  at 
a  distant  mark,  where  the  great  superiority  of  my  rifle 
over  their  miserable  guns  enabled  me  to  hit  an  object  at 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  which  they  could  not  touch  at 
fifty. 

I  thought  it  essential  to  my  estimation,  if  not  to  my 
safety  among  them,  to  keep  up  this  belief  in  my  supe- 
riority ;  and  even  in  the  present  absurd  instance  1  did  not 
wish  that  our  bowl  should  be  the  last  finished.  How- 
ever, it  was  in  vain  that  I  attacked  it  with  a  most  deter- 
mined spirit  ;  the  solid,  sticky,  indigestible  mass  resisted 
my  utmost  eff'orts  ;  and  while  I  was  labouring  at  the 
mastication  of  small  morsels,  I  could  see  fragments  of 
one  or  two  square  inches  finding  their  easy  way  down 
the  Indian-rubber  throats  of  my  competitors.  Any  man 
who  has  seen  a  small  short-le^ored  spaniel  running  after  a 
large  rough  greyhound,  in  heather  between  two  and  three 
feet  high,  can  form  an  estimate  of  the  kind  of  race  in 
which  I  was  here  engaged. 
Vol.  I.— X 


242  MANNER    OF    INVITA    TIOIJ. 

Fortunately  for  my  credit,  my  plump  comrade  stop- 
ped short,  ar^d  pleaded  severe  illness,  (which  was,  indeed, 
true,  for,  instead  of  stuffing  himself  with  maize,  he 
ought  to  have  been  using  fever  medicine  and  ihe  lancet  ;) 
and  his  left-hand  neighbour,  a  huge  hungry  warrior,  who 
hat!  already  disposed  of  his  allowance,  was  permitted  to 
replace  him.  With  the  aid  of  this  new  ally,  nriy  bowl 
became  more  empty.  I  contrived  logive  tiim  the  largest 
spoon,  and  used  oiher  generous  devices  to  bestow  upon 
him  at  least  iwo-lh>ds  of  our  mess,  of  all  which  move- 
R^enls  on  my  part  he  seemed  perfectly  unconscious  ;  but 
lie  went  quietly  on,  swallowing  his  portion  Aviih  imper- 
turbable gravity  ;  and  when  our  bowl  was  emptied,  he 
seemed  as  ready  to  begin  another  as  before.  Alas  !  even 
with  tliis  powerful  auxiliary,  I  was  last  but  one  in  the 
sweepstakes. 

The  ordinary  method  of  invitation  to  a  feast  is  as  fol- 
lows : — A  boy  or  lad,  not  yet  classed  among  the  hunters, 
is  sent  from  the  lodge  of  the  host  to  that  of  the  invited 
parly  ;  on  arriving,  he  nierelv  mentions  the  name  of  the 
latter,  making  a  slight  inclination  of  the  head,  when  he 
remains  perfectly  still  until  the  guest  rises  to  follow  him 
to  the  feastino-lodge.  These  young  messengers  are  pro- 
vokingly  persevering  in  the  discharge  of  their  office,  and 
"will  find  the  victim  of  their  politeness  however  desirous 
lie  may  be  of  absenting  himself.  On  one  occasion, 
having  eaten  three  or  four  dinners  of  buffalo  meat,  and 
dreading  another  invitation,  I  took  my  rifle  and  strolled 
along  the  banks  of  a  creek  for  two  or  three  miles,  until  I 
found  a  few  dwarf  elders,  which  promised  the  luxury  of 
a  liule  quiet  and  shade.  I  lay  down  below  them,  drew 
a  volume  from  my  pocket,  and  began  to  read. 

I  had  been  thus  occupied  not  more  than  ten  minutes, 
when  I  heard  a  gentle  voice  by  my  side  call  me  bv  name, 
I^'eshada-ia-ka  (white  cfiief) ;  I  looked  up,  and  saw  a  boy 
about  twelve  years  of  age,  who  had  followed  or  tracked 
me  all  tins  distance  to  summon  me  to  a  feast.  I  was 
obliged  to  leplace  Milton  in  my  pocket  and  follow  my 
\oung  lormentor,  under  the  penally  of  insulting  the  In- 
dian who  had  seni  him. 

August   I. — This  day  was,  I  believe,  the  anniversary 


A  STAMPED©.  243 

of  my  arrival  in  the  United  Stales  ;  but  how  different 
in  character  and  temperature  !  The  wind  blew  from  the 
north-east,  accompanied  by  a  drizzling  rain,  over  an 
ocean  of  prairie,  where  there  was  neither  tree  nor  moun- 
tain to  check  its  sweeping  course ;  and  the  day  was  cer- 
tainly as  raw  and  cold  as  an  average  November  in  Scot- 
land ;  whereas,  on  the  same  day  last  year,  the  thermo- 
meter in  the  shade  at  New  York  was  at  9^*^  Fahrenheit. 
The  character  of  the  country  was  somewhat  changed 
since  we  left  the  north  wanch  of  the  Kanzas  river,  as 
it  became  gradually  more  flinty.  The  only  vegetation 
was  the  prickly  pear  and  the  grass  ;  which  last,  though 
very  short,  is  sweet  and  nutritious,  and  would,  I  believe, 
make  excellent  sheep-pasture,  but  the  wolves  would  be 
the  only  shepherds  ;  for  assuredly  no  human  being  could 
reside  permanently  in  this  barren  wilderness,  ill-supplied 
as  it  is  with  water,  and  worse  with  fuel.  We  wasted 
day  after  day  in  idleness,  and  began  to  be  most  heartily 
tired  of  our  Pawnee  friends. 


CHAPTER   XVIIT. 

A  Stanipedo. — Number  of  Horses  in  the  Encampment. — Moccasins.— 
Prickly  Pears— Feet  wounded  by  them. — Indian  Surgery.— Impro- 
vident' Inactivity. — Desire  to  return  to  the  civilized  World. — Indian 
E.vtortion.— Medical  Faculty.— Modeof  Practice  — Stroll  after  Niaht- 
fall. — Narrow  Escape.— Scarcity  of  Water.— Haitans.— Buffalo 
Hunt.— Dinner  on  raw  Buffalo  Meat.— Long  Shot  at  an  Antelope.— 
Advantage  of  the  Bow  over  the  Rifle  in  Buffalo  Hunting. — Value  of 
the  Buffalo  to  the  Western  Tribes.— An  Accident.— Extraordinary 
Spot.— Bird  Nesting.— My  Library. — Thoughts  of  Home.— Herd  of 
Buffalo. 

In  the  last  six  days  we  had  travelled  but  few  miles ; 
and,  except  in  pursuing  my  difficult  and  unsatisfactory 
inquiries  into  the  customs  and  language  of  the  Pawnees, 
I  had  little  to  relieve  the  dirty  monotony  of  our  hves. 
One  evening,  however,  we  had  a  magnificent  specimen 
of  a  scene  of  which  I  had  previously  seen  instances  of 
a  more  partial  character  ;  this  is  called  by  the  white  tra- 


344  A     STAMPEDO. 

ders  a  Stumpedo ;  a  most  expressive  word,  which  the 
following  sketch  may  serve  to  explain  : — 

About  an  hour  after  the  usual  tune  at  which  the  horses 
were  brought  in  for  the  night,  hobbled,  and  otherwise 
secured  near  the  tents  and  fires  of  their  respective  own- 
ers, an  indistinct  sound  arose  like  the  muttering  of  distant 
thunder.  As  it  approached  it  became  mingled  with  the 
howling  of  all  the  dogs  in  the  encampment,  and  with  the 
shouts  and  yells  of  the  Indians.  In  coming  nearer,  it 
lose  high  above  all  these  ac^mpanimenls,  and  resem- 
bling the  lashing  of  a  heavy  surf  upon  a  beach.  Oi> 
and  on  it  rolled  towards  us,  and  partly  from  my  own 
hearing,  partly  from  the  hurried  words  and  actions  of 
the  tenants  of  onr  lodge,  I  gathered  that  it  must  be  the 
fierce  and  uncontrollable  gallop  of  thousands  of  panic- 
stricken  horses. 

As  this  living  torrent  drew  nigh,  I  sprang  to  the  front 
of  the  tent,  seized  my  favourite  riding-mare^  and,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  hobbles  which  confined  her,,  twisted  the  long 
laryette  round  her  fore-legs,  then  led  her  imm.ediately  in 
front  of  the  fire,  hoping  that  tlie  excited  and  maddened 
flood  of  horses  would  divide,  and  pass  on  each  side  of  it. 
At  the  same  time  I  directed  my  servant  to  secure  anoiher 
of  my  horses;  but  he  was  so  confused  and  astonished 
by  the  roaring  tumultuous  sound,  that  he  seemed  to  have 
thought  that  the  Shiennes  were  again  attacking  us — and> 
instead  of  following  my  instructions,  ran  about,  before 
and  in  the  tent,  looking  for  pistols  {  As  the  gallopping 
mass  drew  nigh,  our  horses  began  to  snort,  prick  up  their 
ears,  and  then  to  tremble  ;  and,  when  it  burst  upon  us, 
they  became  completely  ungovernable  from  terror.  All 
broke  loose  and  joined  their  affrighted  companions,  ex- 
cept my  mare,  which  struggled  with  the  fury  of  a  wild 
beast,  and  I  only  retained  her  by  using  all  my  strength, 
and  at  last  throwing  her  on  her  side.  On  went  the  mad- 
dened troop,  trampling,  in  their  headlong  spe-ed,  over 
skins,  dried  meat,  &c.,  and  throwing  down  some  of  the 
smaller  tents.  They  were  soon  lost  in  the  darkness  of 
night  and  in  the  wilds  of  the  prairie,  and  nothincr  more 
was  heard  of  them  save  the  distant  yelping  of  the  curs 
which  continued  their  ineffectual  pursuit. 


Horses  in  the  camp.  245 

This  is  a  stampedo,  and  is  one  of  the  most  extraor- 
dinary scenes  I  have  ever  beheld,  as  may  easily  be  ima- 
gined by  any  one  who  reflects  that  this  race  of  terror  is 
run  in  darkness,  only  partially  lighted  by  the  fitful  glare 
of  half-exlinguished  fires,  and  that  it  is  moreover  run  by 
several  thousand  steeds,  driven  by  terror  to  ungovernable 
madness.  The  first  origin  of  the  panic  I  never  could 
learn  ;  but  its  consequences  were  such  as  might  be  sup- 
posed, namely,  that  the  whole  of  the  following  day  was 
occupied  in  driving  back,  securing,  and  appropriating  the 
horses  to  their  respective  masters.  I  do  not  think  that 
many  were  lost  to  their  rightful  owners.  For  my  part, 
1  lost  none  ;  but,  by  a  strange  inconsequence  of  honesty 
among  my  Pawnee  friends,  all  my  halters  and  laryeltes, 
broken  or  unbroken,  were  taken  away.  The  reader  may 
imagine  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  ascertain,  with 
any  approach  to  accuracy,  the  number  of  horses  in  the 
Pawnee  encampment ;  but,  lest  he  should  be  disposed 
to  consider  the  above  description  exaggerated,  I  will 
subjoin  the  facts  upon  which  I  founded  my  calculation. 

There  were  in  all  about  six  hundred  lodges.  Some 
of  the  poorest  families  had  perhaps  only  two  or  three 
horses,  wherewith  to  transport  all  their  meats,  skins, 
children,  and  the  poles  and  other  articles  composing  the 
lodge  ;  but  many  of  the  chiefs  and  braves,  who  had  been 
successful  in  war-parties,  had  from  eight  to  twelve.  My 
old  chief,  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  had  been  robbed  of  most  of  his 
horses  the  preceding  year  by  a  hostile  party  of  Sioux, 
and  he  gave  me  to  understand,  that  his  eldest  son  was 
now  on  an  excursion  beyond  the  Arkansas,  to  trade  for 
some  with  the  Camanches,  Haitans,  and  other  southern 
tribes  ;  meanwhile  he  had  only  five  or  six,  and  those  of 
the  meanest  description.  But  I  examined  more  than 
once  the  stud  of  the  great  chief,  and  of  his  son  Pa^-ta^- 
la^-cha'ro;  the  latter  had  three  or  four  mules  and  fifteen 
or  twenty  horses  ;  the  former  at  least  thirty,  among  which 
were  some  wild,  some  Spanish,  and  three  of  American 
breed. 

After  this  little  incident,  we  resumed  our  usual  routine 
of  feasts  of  buffalo  meat,  and  sometimes  half-boiled 
maize,  bruised  or  whole,  eight  or  ten  limes  a-day.     As 


24|5  MOCCASINS. 

hunting  was  strictly  forbidden,  the  only  change  from 
these  continual  and  uninviting  meals,  was  to  lie  in  the 
close  and  dirty  lodge,  where  the  perpetual  squalling  of 
children  rendered  reading  almost  impossible.  The 
squaws  in  our  lodge  continued  to  be  very  kind  to  me, 
and  often  was  I  roused  from  a  reverie  or  a  short  sleep  by 
feeling  ihem  tickle  my  feet,  in  endeavouring  to  fit  upon 
them  a  pair  of  moccasins  which  they  had  made  for  me. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  moccasms  of  almost  all  the 
tribes  differ  from  each  other  in  fashion  and  ornament; 
and  if  an  experienced  prairie  hunter  finds  one  in  the 
wilderness,  he  can  form  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  tribe  of 
him  who  dropped  it.  Among  them  all  I  think  the  most 
ugly  and  shapeless  are  those  of  my  friends  the  Pawnees; 
however,  as  the  squaws  gave  them  to  me,  I  felt  bound  to 
wear  them  ;  and  my  gallantry  cost  me  dear,  for  the  plain 
where  we  were  camped  was  full  of  prickly  pears*  and 
those  too  the  coarsest  and  largest  which  I  had  yet  seen  ; 
some  of  the  thorns  on  the  leaves  were  four  or  five  inches 
long,  with  a  kind  of  bulb  or  barb  at  the  point,  supposed 
to  be  slightly  charged  with  poison.  How  the  Indians 
avoid  them  in  the  dark  I  cannot  learn  ;  certain  it  is,  how- 
ever, that  in  g^ing  about  camp  after  dusk  I  wounded  my 
feet  repeatedly,  though  I  could  not  see  many  Indians 
lamed  by  them.  But  at  last  I  received  so  severe  a  lesson 
that  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  my  moccasins,  and  lake 
again  to  my  thick  shoes,  until  we  should  leave  this  sandy 
regjon. 

I  was  going  out  to  feast  at  the  lodge  of  a  Tapage 
brave,  who  lived  at  some  distance,  and  the  evening,  had 
closed  in  before  I  reached  it.  My  path  lay  through  a 
bed  of  these  odious  plants.  I  put  my  left  fool  upon  one, 
and  receiving  a  smart  puncture,  leaped  forward,  and  came 
with  my  right  foot,  and  with  all  my  weight,  full  upon 
another;  a  strong  thorn  ran  an  inch  or  two  into  my  foot 
below  the  instep,  and  as  I  stumbled,  broke  off  nearly 
even  with  the  skin.  I  limped  forward  as  well  as  I  was 
able,  and  finding  my  host  sitting  behind  his  fire,  accosted 
him  with  the  usual  salutation,  "  L6w-a,"  and,  according 

*  The  botanical  name  is  Cachis  ferox. 


INDIAN  SURGERY.  247 

to  Indian  custom,  took  my  seat  by  him  in  silence,  with- 
out mentioning  my  hurt,  although  my  foot  felt  as  if  on  fire. 
He  happened  to  be  a  good-naiured  fellow,  and  while  the 
squaws  were  separating,  and  laying  before  each  of  the 
guests  a  buffalo-rib,  he  pointed  to  my  foot,  and  said, 
"The  Chalick's  ta-ka  is  hurt."  I  told  him,  with  as  much 
indifference  as  I  could  affect,  that  a  thorn  had  gone 
through  my  moccasin,  and  was  now  deep  in  my  foot. 
He  said  one  of  his  young  men  should  take  it  out ;  and 
gave  directions  to  a  youth  of  about  twenty  to  come  for- 
ward. When  the  stocking  and  moccasin  were  removed, 
and  my  white  foot  and  ankle  were  uncovered,  with  a 
small  blue  circle  of  inflammation  round  the  heel  of  the 
thorn,  a  look  passed  among  the  dusky  figures  who  were 
around  me,  which  I  interpreted  into  a  kind  of  insulting 
pity  for  the  tender  skin  of  the  pale-face.  My  indigna- 
tion made  nje  forget  the  pain. 

The  young  man  succeeded,  after  sundry  efforts,  in 
getting  hold  of  the  end  of  the  thorn  ;  and  he  began  to 
pull  it  gently,  but  strongly,  from  its  bed.  Fortunately, 
it  was  very  large  and  tougli,  and  did  not  break,  but,  as 
the  barb  met  with  much  resistance  as  he  drew  it  through 
the  inflamed  parts,  I  thought  I  had  never  felt  a  more  acute 
pain  for  a  moment  or  two  ;  but  the  iron  visages  and  glar- 
ing eyes  around  me  effectually  steeled  my  pride,  and, 
except  a  heightened  flush  on  my  face,  I  believe  I  went 
through  the  sharp,  though  trifling  operation,  with  as  much 
Btoie  indifference  as  would  have  been  displayed  by  one 
ef  themselves.  I  believe  that  an  involuntary  exclama- 
tion, or  shrinking  of  the  body,  would  have  lowered  me 
much  in  their  estimation  ;  as  it  was,  the  young  man 
showed  the  thorn,  with  the  blood  upon  it,  to  the  brave, 
who  said  "  Ush  1"  and  the  feast  proceeded.  I  walked 
home,  like  a  culprit  of  old,  among  hot  ploughshares.,  and 
put  away  my  moccasins  in  my  saddle-bags. 

The  folly  of  the  Indians  in  wasting  so  much  valuable 
time  was  to  me  almost  incomprehensible,  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  their  whole  winter  supply  of  provisions  de- 
pends upon  the  summer  hunt.  They  would  be  obliged 
to  return  to  their  village  in  three  or  four  weeks,  or  they 
v/ould  lose  their  crop  of  maize;  but  their  thoughtless  im- 


24S  INDIAN  EXTORTION. 

providence  is  proverbial.  Several  causes  of  anxiety  an- 
noyed nne.  I  had  lost  by  faiigue,  and  the  inclusions  of 
hostile  tribes,  four  of  ray  original  stock  of  horses  ;  neither 
was  ihe  remainder  in  a  very  effective  condition.  My 
German  companion,  as  well  as  bolh  my  attendants  was 
most,  anxious  to  return  to  the  civilized  world  ;  and  I  con- 
fess we  had  few  inducement  to  remain.  I  therefore  ex- 
amined the  contents  of  my  packs,  in  order  to  see  whether 
I  had  still  CTiough  to  purchase  two  or  three  horses. 
There  appeared  more  than  sufficient  to  buy  them  at  their 
visual  price,  namely,  one  pair  of  Mackinaw  blankets,  a 
piece  of  scarlet  cloth,  a  few  ounces  of  rouge,  half  a  pound 
of  tobacco,  some  beads  or  irinkets,  and  half  a  dozen 
knives,  such  as  are  commonly  used  by  butchers. 

The  half-'-'awnee  interpreter  gave  me  no  assistance  ; 
but  he  seemed  to  be  upon  an  understanding  with  the 
savages,  that,  as  we  were  oblic-ed  to  purchase  horses  at 
any  rate,  it  was  as  well  to  make  us  pay  handsomely  for 
ihem  ;  indeed,  no  Yorkshire  dealer,  nor  channel  pilot, 
nor  Yankee  pedler,  ever  outdid  the  iniquitous  enormity 
of  their  demands.  Nor  were  the  young  men  whom  we 
spoke  to,  in  reference  to  acting  as  our  guides  hom.eward, 
much  less  unreasonable  than  the  horse-dealers.  I  agreed, 
however,  with  one  (a  younger  brother  of  8a-ni-tsa-rish), 
and  an  active  lad  related  to  him.  The  bargain,  which 
was  the  best  that  I  was  able  to  make,  was,  that  I  agreed 
to  give  them,  on  arriving  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  the  value 
of  three  or  four  hor.-<es.  Nevertheless,  f  was  not  so 
angry  at  this  extortion  as  at  the  other,  because  the  guides 
must  experience  much  faiiuue  and  dirticulty  in  taking 
us  over  so  extensive  a  wilderness  ;  besides  which,  they 
ran  no  little  risk  of  falling  in  with  stray  war  orhunting- 
pRrties  of  Shiennes,  Sioux,  Ricaras,  or  other  hostile  In- 
dians, w^ho  would  certainly  scalp  them,  and  probably  us, 
also,  for  being  in  their  company. 

J'  The  avarice  and  extortion  here  complained  of  form  a 
strange  contrast  with  the  open  and  constant  hospitality 
of  Indians  in  regard  to  food  and  clothing;  but  of  all  the 
rogues  in  the  tribe,  those  most  pre-eminent  in  cheating 
and  hypocrisy  are  the  "  medical  faculty P  These  fel- 
lows are  of  a  kindred  character  with  the  Augurs,  or  great 


MEDICAL    FACULTY.  249 

medicine-men,  and  are,  in  fact,  a  lower  branch  of  the 
same  def)ariment.  Any  ignorant  idler  who  takes  it  into 
his  head  to  become  a  doctor,  gives  notice  of  it  to  the 
Pawnee  world  by  assuming  a  solemn  deportment,  wear- 
ing his  robe  with  the  hair  outward,  and  learning  lo  make 
a  noise  in  his  throat,  which  is  distinctive  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  which  resembles  the  sound  made  by  a  person 
wl)o  is  gargling  for  a  relaxed  uvula.  Here  his  medical 
studies  and  accomplishments  end  ;  and  his  reputation  de- 
pends entirely  upon  the  result  of  his  first  attempts,  which 
must  evidently  be  altogether  fortuitous. 

In  gieat  cases,  such  as  a  broken  leg  or  mortal  disease 
of  a  chief,  the  medicine-men  are  called  in  to  assist  with 
their  mummery;  but  the  treatment  of  ordinary  diseases 
by  these  practitioners,  will  be  understood  by  my  noting 
down  accurately  what  took  place  at  the  daily  and  nightly 
visits  of  the  doctor  who  attended  our  chief's  lodge.  The 
patient  was  one  of  the  children,  gradually  and  certainly 
dying,  from  shameful  maltreatment  under  the  hooping- 
cough.  It  should,  however,  be  remembered,  in  excul- 
pation of  the  (lalen^  that  the  parents  fed  the  child  three 
or  four  times  a-da}'',  with  enormous  meals  of  half-boiled 
maize  or  buffalo  meat,  each  of  which  acting  as  an  eme- 
tic, enabled  the  wretched  little  sufferer  to  swallow  its 
successor. 

The  learned  doctor  stalked  into  the  lodge  with  all  the 
dignified  importance  of  the  most  practised  pulse-feeler, 
rarely  deigning  to  salute  the  parents  or  other  inhabitants. 
He  then  stooped  down  over  the  child  ;  look  a  little  earth 
in  his  hand,  which  he  moistened  with  saliva,  and,  wiih 
the  precious  mixture  thus  form.ed,  he  anointed  the 
shoulders,  the  forehead,  and  other  parts  of  the  child,  es- 
pecially the  pit  of  the  stomach  ;  then  approaching  his 
mouih  to  this  last,  and  covering  with  his  robe  his  own 
head  and  the  person  of  his  patient,  he  commenced  the 
gargling  operation  to  which  I  have  before  alluded.  This 
I  have  known  him  frequently  to  continue  for  three  or  four 
hours  at  a  time,  udien  he  left  the  unfortunate  sufferer  as 
he  found  it,  without  having  used  friction  or  embrocation, 
or  administered  medicine  of  any  kind  whatever. 

It   only  remains   to  add,  respecting  the  disciples  of 


250  STROLL  AFTER  NIGHTFALL. 

vEsculapius,  that  if  the  patient  recovers,  their  fame  is 
blazed  abroad,  and  they  receive  in  horses,  meat,  blan- 
kets, &c.,  a  fee  much  higher  in  proportion  to  the  wealth 
of  any  of  the  parlies,  than  was  ever  given  to  bjir  Asiley 
Cooper  or  Sir  Henry  Halford.  If  the  patient  dies,  the 
doctor  is  considered  "bad  medicine,"  and  generally  leaves 
the  profession  for  a  year  or  two,  during  which  time,  he 
pursues  the  ordinary  avocations  of  stealing,  hunting,  or 
fighting,  until  his  ill-name  is  forgotten,  or  some  fortunate 
incident  has  obtained  for  him  a  white-washed  reputation. 
Such  is  a  sketch  of  the  Pawnee  faculty. 

As  I  alluded  lately  to  the  hospitahty  of  this,  as  of  other 
tribes,  I  should  qualify  those  expressions  by  mentioning, 
that  although  I  considered  my  life,  and  my  property,  even 
to  the  merest  trifles,  safe,  while  under  the  shelter  of  my^ 
old  chief's  lodge,  I  am  not  justifiable  in  makmg  the  same 
assertion  respectmg  all  the  other  Indians  of  the  tribe  ; 
that  is,  I  was  his  guest,  not  their  guest ;  and  the  old  man 
himself  warned  me  and  my  companion  repeatedly,  that 
there  were  "  many  bad  men  about,"  and  that  we  should 
not,  on  any  account,  stray  from  the  encampment  after 
dusk.  Of  course,  we  did  not  neglect  this  caution  ;  but, 
on  one  afternoon  we  ran  some  risk  of  paying  a  severe 
penalty  for  having  forgotten  it. 

We  had  been  to  a  feast,  given  by  a  chief  whose  lodge 
was  near  the  boundary  of  the  camp  ;  and,  after  taking 
our  leave,  were  tempted,  by  the  extreme  beauty  of  the 
evening,  to  take  a  short  ramble  and  enjoy  the  cool  fresh- 
ness of  the  twilight.  We  wandered  on,  and  became  so 
much  interested  in  talking  over  liome  (as  we  then  styled 
Fort  Leavenworth),  and  our  plan  for  reaching  it,  that 
we  were  unconscious  of  the  distance  we  had  walked, 
until  a  pause  in  the  conversation,  and  the  deepening 
shades  warned  us  of  our  imprudence.  I  turned  round 
and  saw  an  Indian  following  us,  with  a  bow  in  his  hand 
and  a  quiver  full  of  arrows  at  his  back.  I  looked  at  my 
own  belt  and  that  of  my  companion,  and  became  con- 
vinced of  the  unpleasant  Iruih  that  vve  were  boih  entirely 
unarmed.  I  asked  iiim  if  he  had  not  even  a  pocket-pis- 
tol or  knife.     Knives  we  had,  but  gun  or  pistol  none.     I 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  laid  aside  mv  fire-arms, 


SURLY    INDIAN.  251 

and  the  first  time  that  either  of  us  had  disregarded  the 
old  chief's  warning.  There  was  someihinL;  most  galhng, 
and  I  might  almost  add,  fearful,  in  the  idea  of  the  possi- 
bility of  our  being  shot  down  there,  like  two  deer,  without 
the  chance  of  a  struggle  for  our  lives,  and  where  none 
but  I  he  savage,  at  whose  mercy  we  were,  could  ever 
learn  the  manner  or  place  of  our  death.  Such  thoughts 
pass  through  the  mind  with  a  rapidity  unknown  to  the 
pen.  But  we  had  no  time  to  dehberate  :  hesitation,  when 
dealing  with  Indians,  is  certain  destruction  :  inaeed, 
among  white  men  it  is  often  little  better. 

VV'e  agreed  to  turn  instantly,  and  walk  quickly  up  to 
him,  with  the  farther  arrangement,  that  if  we  saw  him 
draw  out  an  arrow  to  fit  it  to  his  bow,  we  would  bdWi  run 
upon  him  at  once,  and,  as  he  could  shoot  but  one,  the 
other  might  use  his  knife  as  he  best  might.  We  put  this 
plan  in  execution,  and  he  was  evidently  taken  bysurprise. 
He  was  an  Indian  whose  face  I  did  not  remember  to 
have  seen  before  ;  and  a  more  malignant  scowling  visage 
I  never  beheld. 

fn  an  instant  we  were  at  his  side  ;  and  I  gave  him  the 
salutation  of  the  evening  with  as  little  di^tru:5t  and  as 
much  confidence  in  his  intentions  as  1  could  assume.  I 
got  nothing  but  a  short  growl  for  an  answer.  He  ap- 
peared desirous  that  we  should  prosecute  our  walk,  and 

let  him  remain  again  behind  :  but  I  told  V lo  keep 

him  now  that  we  had  a;oi  him,  and  not  to  let  him  leave 
us  on  any  pretence,  as,  at  these  close  quarters,  where  his 
bow  was  unserviceable,  either  of  us  was  a  match  for  him 
in  strength.  1  could  get  no  words  from  him;  his  eye 
was  troubled,  and  his  whole  look  villainous. 

I  told  him  carelessly,  that  "  it  was  late,  and  it  was 
good  to  go  back  to  our  chiefs  ;"  and,  half  locking  my  arm 
in  his,  we  returned  toward  the  camp.  When  we  had 
reached  a  point  wlience  we  could  see  the  fires,  and  from 
which  the  noise  of  a  struggle  would  reach  the  outposts, 
we  felt  comparatively  secure.  Immediately  before  us 
were  som.e  very  small  mounds,  or  hillocks  ;  and,  as  we 
approached  them,  our  Indian  broke  from  us,  and,  running 
forward,  spoke  in  a  hurried  accent  to  two  or  three  of  his 
red  brethren,  who  lay  concealed,  and  when  on  the  ground, 


252  NARROW    ESCAPE. 

were  scarcely  distinguishable.  His  communication  to  them 
was  doubtless  to  the  effect  that  the  plan  had  failed  ;  for, 
on  receivmg  it,  they  stole  off  in  various  directions. 

It  was  now  pretty  evident  that  this  pany  of  rogues 
had  watched  us  when  we  began  our  walk,  and  had  de- 
spatched one  of  their  number  to  follow  us  steahhily. 
When  we  had  wandered  sufficiently  far  to  prevent  any 
chance  of  discovery  from  the  noise  of  a  struggle  reach- 
ing the  camp,  he  would  have  returned,  brought  them 
with  him,  and  have  shot  us,  in  order  to  get  possession  of 
our  clothes,  knives,  and  such  weapons  as  they  might 
suppose  us  to  have.  I  may  do  them  wrong  ;  but  this  is 
my  firm  conviction  as  regards  their  intentions  towards 
us.  If  we  had  there  lost  our  lives  through  our  folly  in 
neglecting  warnings,  and  going  moreover  unarmed,  it 
must  be  confessed  we  should  have  deserved  our  fate.  I 
was  glad  to  sit  down  again  in  old  Sa-ni-tsa-rish's  lodge, 
and  of  course  said  nothing  to  him  of  the  incident.  We 
had  no  proof  whereon  to  ground  an  accusation,  and  I 
always  avoided  even  the  sliglitest  appearance  of  distrust. 

On  the  2d  of  August  we  broke  up  our  encampment 
at  daylight,  and  moved  on  about  twelve  miles  south; 
halted,  and  pitched  our  tents  by  the  side  of  a  small 
muddy  streamlet,  which  we  were  glad  to  find  not  quite 
dry.  Indeed,  if  one  wished  for  an  illustration  of  the 
delusive  nature  of  many  of  our  fondest  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations in  life,  I  scarcely  know  where  to  find  one  more 
apt  and  appropriate  than  the  constant  disappointment  to 
which  the  traveller  is  liable  in  this  western  wilderness. 
He  pursues  his  weary  way  under  a  burning  sun,  until 
half  exhausted  by  heat  and  fatigue,  he  sees  in  the  dis- 
tance a  curved  green  line  of  poplar  or  small  cotton-wood 
trees,  by  which  the  course  of  a  stream  or  creek  is  always 
indicated.  Cheered  and  refreshed  by  the  view,  he  spurs 
on  his  jaded  horse,  and  arrives,  at  length,  at  the  wished- 
for  point;  where  he  sees  to  his  dismay,  the  hot  sun- 
beams reflected  from  white  stones  and  dry  sand — which 
form,  indeed,  in  spring  or  winter,  the  bed  of  a  river; 
but  where  he  might  now  search  in  vain  for  a  drop  of 
water  to  cool  his  parched  tongue  !  T/m^dropis  a  luxu- 
ry which  he  must  again  search  for,  and  which  may  cost 


IIAITANS.  25S 

him  another  hour  or  two  of  weary  travel ;  and  fortunate 
is  he  if  it  does  not  cost  him  half  a  day. 

To  proceed.  At  mid-day  we  went  to  hunt  buffalo. 
There  were  marks  and  indications  of  large  herds ;  but 
the  beasts  had  been  frightened  away  by  a  war-party  of 
Haiians,  who  had  been  heie  only  the  night  before. 
Tliese  Indians  were  not  at  war  with"^the  village  in  which 
I  was  living,  but  with  the  Pawnee  Loups,  who  stole 
some  horses  from  them  last  year,  and  the  principal  band 
of  whom  were  now  hunting  to  the  northward  of  us.  The 
Haitans  seem  to  be  a  small  wandering  tribe,  who  gene- 
rally roam  between  the  countries  inhabited  on  the  north 
by  the  Pawnees,  and  on  the  sonlh  by  the  Camanches  ; 
and  their  principal  employment  seems  to  consist  in  steal- 
ing horses  from  the  Mexican  and  other  traders,  and  sell- 
ing tl)em  to  their  more  powerful  neighbours. 

I  learned  distinctly  from  the  Pawnees,  that  many  of 
their  horses  had  come  from  the  Haitans  ;  and  as  cer- 
tainly that  a  great  proportion  of  the  guns  and  other  arti- 
cles annually  distributed  (as  before  stated)  among  the 
Pawnees,  find  their  way  to  this  rambling  tribe,  in  pay- 
ment for  their  horses.  At  this  time  Sa-ni-tsa-rish's  eldest 
son  was  upon  a  trading  expedition  with  them,  as  I  have 
before  mentioned,  and  his  return  with  a  few  horses  w^as 
daily  expected.  The  old  chief  seemed  to  await  his  ar- 
rival with  the  greatest  anxiety. 

I  could  not  start  so  early  in  the  chase  this  day  as 
some  of  my  red  brother  hunters ;  so  the  cows  and  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  herd  were  n)any  miles  a-head  be- 
,fore  I  came  on  the  field  of  action.  I  was  now  sensible 
of  the  vital  importance  of  sparing  my  horses  as  much 
as  possible,  that  I  contented  m3^self  with  assisting  in  the 
slaughter  of  a  few  scattered  fugitives.  I  was  moreover, 
ravenously  hungry  and  almost  faint  for  want  of  food,  for 
it  was  now  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I  had 
eaten  nothing  since  noon  of  the  preceding  da}^  and  had 
been  since  dawn  in  the  saddle,  under  a  most  oppressive 
sun.  I  came  to  a  spot  wiiere  a  young  bull  had  been 
slightly  wounded  by  two  or  three  arrows,  the  owners  of 
which  were  now  walking  round  and  round  him,  at  a  re- 
spectful  distance,   as   he  had  turned  to  bay,  and   con- 

VoL.  I.— y 


254  A    BUFFALO    SHOT. 

fronted  his  nearest  antagonists  wiiha  most  determined  air. 
An  Indian  does  not  often  shoot  at  a  buffalo  whose  head  is 
toward  him,  knowing  ihe  impend rable  nature  of  his  fore- 
head, and  of  the  shaggy  mat)ile  of  hair  which  protects 
the  fore  part  of  his  body  :  beside  which,  these  men  and 
their  horses,  were  wearied  by  the  long  gallop  which  the 
pursuit  had  given  us.  As  I  approached,  they  asked  if 
"  the  white  chief  would  kill  the  buffalo  with  his  great 
gun?"  I  gave  my  assent,  and,  going  up  wiihin  sixty 
yards,  wounded  him  w'nh  my  first,  and  killed  him  wiih 
my  second  ball. 

I  reloaded  my  rifle,  while  the  Indians  cut  him  up  with 
a  speed  which  appeared  to  me,  even  among  ///ewz,  unex- 
ampled ;  indeed,  they  were  nearly  famished  ;  and  as 
they  squalled  on  iheir  hams  round  the  huge  animal, 
and  devoured  large  slices  which  they  cut  of  yet  warm,  a 
civilized  man  might  have  doubted  w^^lelher  they  were 
wolves  or  human  beings.  But  /  was  no  longer  a  civi- 
lized man — hunger  had  triumphed  over  the  last  traces  of 
civilization — 1  received  with  thankfulness,  and  ate  with 
eagerness,  a  good  piece  of  the  warm  liver,  untouched  by 
fire,  water,  or  salt,  and  I  found  it  as  agreeable  to  the 
palate,  and  as  tender  as  an)  morsel  I  ever  tasted.  It 
must  sound  horrible  to  others,  as  it  did  to  me  a  few 
weeks  ago,  but  lei  none  condemn  me  till  he  has  been  in 
a  similar  situation. 

Here  a  little  incident  occurred,  which  was  probably 
of  great  use  to  me  in  raising  to  a  height  altogether  un- 
deserved, the  Indians'  opinions  of  my  powers,  as  a 
maiksman;  and  I  feel  assured,  that  none  of  the  party 
who  saw  it,  nor  any  of  those  to  whom  they  may  have 
related  it,  would  ever  approach  me  openly  vviih  hostile 
intent.  Wiiile  we  w^ere  enjoying  our  Sybarite  meal  of 
raw  meat,  an  Indian  next  to  me  uttered  the  usual  Uahf 
(by  which  they  express  the  presentation  of  any  new  ob- 
ject to  their  eyes,)  and  pointed  to  an  antelofie  which  was 
galloping  along  the  side  of  a  small  rising  ground  oppo- 
site to  us,  at  a  distance  much  beyond  the  ordinary  rifle- 
range  for  so  small  an  object;  the  other  Indians  also 
looked  at  it,  and  I  caufrht  up  my  rifle  which  lay  at  my 
side  ;  ihey  all  shook  their  heads  and  said,  it  was  ''  no 
use  ;  it  was  loo  far  for  the  white  chief's  gun." 


THE  BOW  AND  ARROW.  255 

I  know  not  what  strange  presentiment  inspired  me 
with  confidence,  but  I  told  them  quietly  it  was  "  quite 
easy — I  would  shoot."  1  stepped  out,  and  put  up  the 
highest  sight  of  my  rifle,  so  as  to  give  my  ball  sufficient 
elevation,  and  taking  an  aim  rather  hasty  than  careful,  I 
pulled  the  trigger.  Much  more  to  my  own  astonishment 
than  tlieirs,  my  ball  went  through  both  the  hind-quarters 
of  the  antelope.  Shouts  of  admiration  and  surprise  were 
raised  by  the  savages,  who  ran  to  secure  the  little  prize; 
but  I  pretended  that  it  was  a  mere  matter  of  course, 
said  nothing,  laid  down  my  rifle,  and  continued  my  meal. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  chance  shots  that 
I  ever  made",'  (as  I  do  not  pretend  to  any  great  skill  with 
the  rifle  ;)  I  measured  the  distance  by  stepping  it  soon  af- 
terward, and  made  it  two  hundred  and  ten  yards  ;  which 
is  certainly  a  long  shot,  when  it  is  considered  that  the 
animal  is  not  much  larger  than  a  greyhound,  and  was 
running  at  speed. 

I  was  Uiuch  amused  for  the  next  hour,  by  seeing  the 
sly  glances  which  the  Indians  stole  from  time  to  time  at 
me  and  my  short  rifle  ;  then  they  would  look  at  each 
other  with  an  expression  which  seemed  to  say,  "  we  had 
better  keep  clear  of  that  man  and  his  gun  !"  While  we 
were  discussing  this  uncouth  meal,  sojne  of  the  hunters, 
who  had  obtained  the  best  start,  and  who  were  well- 
mounted,  came  up  with  the  large  herd,  and  killed  about 
two  hundred.  And  here  F  may  remark,  that  the  bow 
and  arrow  is  beyond  all  question  the  most  effective 
weapon  for  killing  buffalo  ;  it  would  be  so  even  in  the 
hands  of  an  indiff'erent  archer,  because  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  have  a  well-trained  horse,  who  is  sufficiently 
fleet  to  overtake  the  game,  but  who  will  not  pass  them, 
so  as  to  incur  the  danger  of  their  formidable  horns  ;  the 
hunter  may  then  gallop  up  behind  them,  keeping  always 
on  their  right  flank,  so  as  to  have  the  free  use  of  his 
bow,  and  when  Vv^ithin  five  or  six  yards,  shoot  one  or 
two  ariows  into  the  loins  in  the  oblique  direction,  which 
the  relative  position  of  the  parlies  renders  easy  and 
almost  unavoidable.  Even,  if,  as  I  before  said,  the 
archer  be  an  indifferent  one,  and  the  arrows  only  enter 
four  or  five  inches  into  the  flank,  every  motion  that  the 


25d  VALUE  OF  THE  BUFFALO 

poor  animal  makes  brinors  some  new  portion  of  his 
wounded  interior  in  contact  with  the  sharp  arrow-head, 
and  he  soon  seeks  relief  in  standing  still,  when  he  is 
either  left  to  a' slow  and  lingering  death,  or  becomes  an 
easier  mark  for  a  deliberate  aim.  But  with  the  Paw- 
nees, at  least  among  the  braves  and  warriors,  it  is  very 
rare  that  only  a  few  inches  of  the  arrow  enter ;  on  the 
contrary,  unless  it  strike  full  upon  a  rib-bone,  it  generally 
penetrates  two-thirds  of  its  length,  and  is  often  buried 
up  to  the  feathers  ;  indeed,  I  have  seen  the  greater  part 
of  the  feathers  buried  also,  and  have  been  assured  by 
many,  both  Indians  and  white  traders,  that  they  have 
frequently  known  an  arrov/  to  be  sent  clean  through  a 
buffalo,  and  to  stick  into  the  ground  ;  tfiis  last  I  never  saw, 
but  I  can  believe  it.  In  shociing  these  animals  with 
ball  the  risk  is  much  greater,  for  when  wounded  they 
feel  less  pain  in  motion  than  in  remaining  still ;  and, 
therefore,  they  gallop  either  away  from,  or  in  pursuit  of, 
the  hunter,  until  they  receive  the  mortal  shot. 

I  cannot  convey  any  just  impression  of  the  total 
dependence  of  the  remote  western  tribes  on  buffalo,  for 
their  very  existence,  without  giving  a  sketch  of  the  vari- 
ous purposes  for  which  that  animal  is,  by  their  ingenuity, 
rendered  available.  First,  its  flesh  is  their  princifial, 
sometimes  their  only,  food  ;  eaten  fresh  on  the  prairies 
during  their  hunt,  and  dried,  in  their  winter  villages. 
Secondly,  the  skin  is  put  to  various  uses  ;  it  forms  the 
material  of  their  lodges,  of  their  bales  for  packing  the 
meat^  of  their  bed  by  ni^ht,  and  their  clothing  by  day  ; 
the  coarser  parts  they  make  into  saddles,  or  cut  into  lar- 
yettes  or  halters ;  and  more  than  all,  it  is  now  their  chief 
article  of  trade  uith  the  whites,  and  thus  is  the  source 
whence  they  must  derive  blankets,  knives,  beads,  and 
every  other  produce  of  civilization.  Thirdly,  they  use 
the  sinews  as  strings  to  their  bows,  and  the  smaller 
fibres  instead  of  twine  or  thread  ;  the  brains  serve  to 
soften  and  dress  the  skins,  while  (as  is  elsewhere  noted 
in  thisjournal)  the  hoof,  at  the  end  of  the  shank-bone,  is 
made  to  answer  the  purpose  of  a  mallet.  Fourthly,  the 
bones  are  not  less  useful  \  some  of  tliem  being  service- 


TO  THE    WESTERN  TRIBES.  257 

able  as  scrapers^  or  coarse  chisels*  others  are  pointed, 
and  nsed  wiili  the  finer  fibres  as  needle  and  thread  ;  and 
the  ribs,  strengihened  by  some  of  the  *^tronger  fibres, 
are  made  to  furnish  the  bow  with  which  olher  buffalo 
are  to  be  destroyed;  this  last  is  the  triumph  of  Indian 
ingenuity.  The  first  bow  that  I  saw  constructed  in  this 
marnier  caused  so  much  surprise  and  admiration,  that  I 
offered  nearly  the  value  of  a  horse  for  it,  but  was  re- 
fused.! When  I  add  to  the  foregoing  particulars,  that  on 
the  barren  prairies  the  Indians  frequently  depend  upon 
the  buffalo  for  their  fuel,  and  on  its  bladder  for  the  means 
of  carryin<T  water,  it  will  not  be  denied  that  the  animal 
is  essential  to  their  existence  ;  and  where  the  buffalo  is 
exterminated,  the  Indians  of  the  prairies  must  perish. 

On  this  same  afternoon,  a  trifling  accident  went  very 
near  to  mar  my  sports  for  the  future,  besides  abridging 
my  means  of  personal  defence.  I  was  riding  at  full 
speed,  down  a  steep  hill,  after  a  fat  young  bull,  that  was 
only  one  hundred  yards  a-head,  and  as  my  horse  was 
both  awkward  and  weary,  I  had  slung  my  rifle  by  a 
leathern  belt  across  my  shoulders,  in  order  to  have  both 
my  hands  at  liberty  to  guide  and  support  him.  In  spite 
of  these  precautions,  he  put  one  of  his  fore-feet  into  a 
hole  and  fell  head  over  heels.  I  rolled  some  yards  far- 
ther than  the  horse,  and  was  not  sorry  on  getting  up  to 
find  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  slight  bruises,  my 

*  The  classical  reader  will  be  interested  in  being  reminded  of  the 
sinorular  resemblance  which  the  details  of  Indian  customs  bear  to  those 
of  the  Scythians,  as  described  by  Herodotus,  who  notices  the  "  scraping 
the  flesh  from  the  skin  of  the  ox  with  an  instrument  formed  from  his 
rib  f^  and  also  the  method  of  "scalping  their  enemies,  and  wearing 
the  scalp-locks  attached  to  their  dress  or  horses'  bits,  he  that  possessed 
the  most  being  esteemed  the  bravest  warrior  ;"  every  word  of  which 
description  is  strictly  a{)plicable  to  the  Missouri  Indians.  See  "  Herod. 
Melpomene,''  cap.  61  —  64. 

t  I  am  not  aware  that  ancient  history  affords  any  instance  of  the 
construction  of  a  bow  from  the  ribs  of  an  animal,  but  the  horns  were 
sometimes  applied  to  that  purpose.  The  classical  reader  is  referred  to 
Virg.  Eclog.  X.  V.  ;  ^neid.  xi.  v.  773  ;  Ovid's  Met.  v.  383  ;  Horn.  Iliad, 
6.  V.  105;  and  Lycoph.  Cassandra,  v.  .564.  The  habit  of  strengthen- 
inff  wooden  bows  wiih  the  fibres  of  animals  has  been  observed  among 
the  Es(|uimaux.  See  "  Ellis's  Voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay,"  p.  138.  At 
a  later  period  of  my  stay  in  the  western  country  I  procured  a  bow 
similar  to  the  one  described  in  the  text,  which  is  still  in  my  possession. 

Y* 


258  AN  ACCIDENT. 

limbs  were  all  entire  ;  but  my  rifle  had  disappeared,  and 
I  was  almost  afraid  to  look  for  it,  knowing  the  extreme 
probabiHty  of  my  findintr  it  broken  in  half,  or  otherwise 
irreparably  damaged.  However,  I  found  it  lying  on  the 
ground  not  far  from  me  ;  the  only  injury  it  had  sustained 
was  the  loss  of  the  screws  and  rivets  which  had  held  the 
sling-beh,  and  which  had  been  broken  off  by  the  shock 
of  my  fall.  Altogether  I  came  off  much  better  ihan  I 
expected,  and  returned  at  a  sober  pace  to  the  encamp- 
njent,  neither  I  nor  my  steed  being  in  good  plight  for  any 
more  huntincr  on  that  evening. 

After  supping  heartily  on  buffalo  meat,  [roasted  not 
raw,)  I  trimmed  my  pencil,  and  wrote  the  foregoing 
half-dozen  pages  of  journal^  putting  to  myself  the  query, 
"  When  I  get  back  to  Fort  Leavenworth  (if  I  ever  da 
get  back  there),  will  they  be  legible,  after  the  rubbing, 
wetting,  and  other  annoyances,  to  which  they  are  con- 
stantly liable  ?" 

On  the  iid  of  August  I  strolled  out  with  my  rifle  to 
examine  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  objects*  of  cu- 
liosity  which  I  had  seen  in  the  western  prairies,  and  which 
was  only  two  miles  from  our  camp.  I  regret  on  this,  as 
on  many  other  occasions,  that  my  ignorance  of  geology 
and  mineralogy  renders  me  unable  to  give  a  satisfactory 
description  of  this  spot.  From  the  centre  of  the  plain 
there  rises  an  abrupt  and  precipitous  range  of  w^hat  ap- 
pears at  first  si^ht  to  be  rock,  but  which,  on  nearer 
examination,  proves  to  be  a  soft  crumbhng  argillaceous 
substance,  intersected  by  strata  of  lime  and  siiells.  Along- 
the  base  of  these  heights  are  scaitered  a  vast  profusion 
of  stones,  much  darker  in  colo\ir  than  the  hill  from  which 
ihey  have  evidently  fallen.  They  are  of  all  forms  and 
sizes,  some  as  large  as  a  thirty-two  pound  shot,  and  others 
no  larger  than  a  child's  marble  ;  they  are  generally  round 
or  oval,  but  1  observed  many  irregular  shapes  among 
ihem.  They  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  principal  ingredient 
in  their  composition  was  iron,  and  their  surface  is  entirely 
covered  by  small,  pointed,,  and  regular  projections,  like 
the  crystallizations  in  Derby  and  other  spar  specimens. 
I  determined  to  carry  home  (if  permitted  to  carry  any- 


EXTRAORDINARY  SPOT.  259 

tJiins^  borne)  a  few  of  the  more  moderate  sized,  and  to 
submit  tbem  to  tbe  exatDinalion  of  some  nreolosist.* 

Tbe  beights  tbemselves  bear  every  evidence  of  hav- 
ing projected  miicb  fartber  tban  tbey  now  do  into  tbe 
plain  ;  and  ibe  soft  friable  substance  of  wbicb  they  are 
composed,  renders  tbem  liable  to  be  acted  upon  by  tbe 
elements,  especially  water  or  melting  snow.  Indeed 
they  wear  away  so  fast^  that  tlie  Indians  assured  me  tbey 
vary  in  form,  and  in  fact  recede  in  some  places  several 
feet  in  tbe  course  of  every  four  or  five  years ;  conse- 
quently there  remain,  standing  in  front  of  them,  huge 
masses  of  the  same  formation  as  tbe  cliffs  themselves, 
which  look  like  the  gigantic  columns  of  some  mighly 
thoufrh  ruined  portico.  They  are  of  various  dimensions 
in  diameter,  but  generally  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  height ; 
the  Indians  told  me  that  a  few  years  ago  ihey  we  e  much 
higher,  and  were  crowned  with  buffalo  horns,  dedicated 
to  the  Great  Spirit.* 

Among  these  huge  broken  pillars  and  in  the  crevices 
of  the  main  cliff,  tbe  "temple-loving  martlet" 

"  Hath  made  his  pendent  bed  and  procreant  cradle," 

and  plays  around  them,  amid  a  swarm  of  twittering  and 
wheeling  companions,  as  numerous  as  those  which  I 
have  seen  on  a  summer  evening  on  tbe  banks  of  tbe 
Thames.  But  even  here  tbe  winged  emigrant  is  beset 
by  dangers,  almost  as  fatal  as  those  which  threaten  him 
in  those  crowded  haunts  where  the  mischievous  school- 
boy practises  on  him  bis  maiden  fowling-piece  ;  for  I 
found  a  regiment  of  Indian  boys  climbing  like  monkeys 
among  the  recesses  of  the  precipice  for  nests  and  eggs  ; 
while  oihers  let  fly  their  bird-bolt  at  any  unfortunate  mar- 
tin who  ventured  to  alight  or  rest  near  bis  assaulted 
home.     This  picturesque  and  jagged  outline  of  bills  only 

*  Some  of  them  are  round  and  smooth  as  grape  shot,  and  the  specific 
gravity  of  all  indicates  the  quantity  of  iron  which  they  contain.  The 
fatigues  and  accidents  of  my  return-journey  prevented  my  carrying 
any  of  these  specimens  back  to  the  United  States. 

*  Similar  offerings  to  the  Great  Spirit,  or  to  the  Medicine,  are  occa- 
sionally met  with  fn  various  parts  of  the  region  between  the  United 
States'  frontier  and  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


260  MY    LIBRARY. 

requires  the  background  of  a  dark  lurid  cloud  ;  and,  if 
viewed  from  a  distance,  it  will  need  but  litlJe  stretch  of 
the  imagination  to  conceive  it  to  be  a  magnificent  castle, 
fit  for  the  residence  of  the  proudest  monarch  on  earth. 

When  I  returned  to  camp,  and  found  all  the  squaws 
busy  in  cutting  up  and  spreading  the  meat  to  dry,  1  sat 
down  in  the  lodge,  and  whiled  away  an  hour  in  reading. 
This  occupation,  whenever  I  found  lime  to  indulge  in  it, 
was  evidently  considered  by  the  Indians  my  "  great 
medicine  ;"  for  they  saw  how  completely  it  absorbed  my 
attention  for  the  time.  Frequently  my  brother,  the  son 
of  ;^a-ni-isa-rish,  would  come  and  lo(ik  over  my  shoul- 
der, and  glance  his  eyes  from  my  face  to  the  book,  with 
a  mingled  expression  of  curiosity  and  surprise.  I  tried 
to  explain  to  him  that  it  "  talked  to  me,  and  told  me  of  many 
things  past,  and  many  far  away."  Then  he  would  take 
it  up,  and  turn  it  round  and  round,  looking  steadfastly  at 
the  page  ;  but  he  said  he  could  hear  nothing  and  see  no- 
thing. I  explained  to  \\',m  that  my  pocket  Bible  was  in- 
deed my  *' great  medicine,"  for  it  was  the  "talk  of  the 
Great  Spirit."  To  this  he  would  listen  with  much  gravi- 
ty ;  but,  alas  !  I  could  not  pursue  the  subject,  for  when- 
ever I  attempted  to  get  beyond  objects  presented  to  the 
senses,  my  stock  both  of  language  and  signs  was  ex- 
hausted. My  library,  on  this  excursion,  was  very  rich  : 
it  consisted  of  four  volumes,  all  of  pocket  size — the 
Bible,  Sophocles,  the  first  half  of  the  Odyssey,  and  Mil- 
ton. 

August  4th. — While  the  men  were  employed  in 
mending,  new-heading,  and  feathering  their  arrows,  and 
others  had  been  sent  out  to  observe  the  motions  of  the 
buffalo,  the  women  continued  their  labours  in  preparing 
the  skins  and  meat  for  packing.  I  again  strolled  out 
with  my  rifle,  alone,  to  the  abrupt  banks  abovemenlion- 
ed,  in  order  that  I  might  indulcre  freely  in  the  sweet 
ihoui^hts  of  home  which  this  day  suggested — this  day 
which  gave  birth  to  one  of  the  most  exemplary  parents 
that  ever  lived,  and  which  also  consummated  a  union,  the 
whole  course  of  which  has  been  marked  by  peace,  mu- 
tual confidence,  and  inviolate  affection. 

Wrapped  in  these  musings,  I  rambled  a  mile  or  two 


HERD    OF    BUFFALO.  261 

beyond  the  cliffs,  and  found  myself  in  the  strangest 
forination  of  ground  which  I  had  yet  seen  :  it  was  a  con- 
tinnalion  of  waves,  like  the  Atlantic  when  angry.  These 
ravines  are  from  tl)irty  to  fifty  feet  deep,  and  the  same 
in  width,  and  they  display  tlie  same  kind  of  gritty  friable 
substratum  as  the  cliffs.  They  are  evidently  water- 
courses after  heavy  rains  or  the  mehing  of  snow,  and  pro- 
bably change  yearly  their  breadth,  depth,  and  relative  po- 
sition. Riding,  or  even  walking  fast,  over  this  portion  of 
country,  would  be  impossible. 

While  examining  this  remarkable  scene,  T  observed  a 
small  herd  of  eight  or  ten  buffalo,  who  had  retired  from 
the  chase  of  yesterday  to  conceal  themselves  in  this 
natural  fastness.  Seeing  through  my  telescope  that 
there  was  no  cow  among  them,  1  did  not  want  to  kill  ; 
but  was  curious  to  see  how  they  could  get  out  of  the 
dilemma  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves.  Accord- 
ingly, I  crept  towards  them,  and,  appearing  suddenly 
and  not  far  off,  gave  a  shout,  and  pretended  to  run  on 
them.  They  started  at  full  speed  ;  and  reckless  of  the 
broken  ravines  and  ridges,  they  tumbled,  rolled,  and 
scrambled  along,  with  an  activity  of  which  I  did  not  be- 
lieve them  capable,  snorting  and  raising  clouds  of  dust 
that  marked  to  a  great  distance  their  headlong  course. 
After  watching  them  till  they  were  out  of  sight,  I  return- 
ed to  the  encampment,  which  I  reached  early  in  the  after- 
noon. 


262  CAMP    MOVED. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Camp  moved. — Medicine  Council. — Preparation  for  Hunting. — !Mar- 
tial  Appearance  of  the  Chief — his  Costume. — The  Author's  Hunt- 
ing-Dress.— Conversation  with  the  Chief — Equipment  of  the  War- 
riors.— Forced  March. — Attack  the  Herds. — Dangerous  Conflict. — 
Sorry  Steed. — Unhorsed  Indian  — A  young  Bull  shot. — A  Hunter's 
Meal. — Su.'^picious  Intruders. — Perplexing  Situation. — A  Friend  in 
Need. — Return  to  the  Camp. 

August  5. — Moved  our  camp  before  four  in  the 
morning,  and  without  breakfast;  an  arrangement  pecu- 
liarly unpleasant  to  me,  inasmuch  as  I  had  gone  dinner- 
less  and  supperless  to  bed  on  the  preceding  evenincr.  We 
rode  eiglit  or  nine  miles,  and  then  received  intelligence 
from  the  scouts  that  there  were  several  large  herds  in 
the  neighbourhood.  The  chiefs  accordingly  ordered  a 
halt  of  the  tents,  women,  children,  and  baggage  ;  and 
having  held  a  great  medicine  council,  at  which  I  attend- 
ed, and  at  wliich  it  was  formally  announced  that  the 
Great  Spirit  was  favourable,  it  was  determined  that  there 
was  to  be  a  grand  chassp.  Accordingly,  the  chiefs,  war- 
riors, and  braves  salHed  forth,  accompanied  by  what  we 
should  call,  in  the  highlands,  gillies;  that  is,  younger  and 
inferior  Indians,  who  lead  a  spare  horse,  and  either  give 
it  to  their  lord  when  his  own  is  tired,  or  cut  up  and  car- 
ry home  the  victims  of  his  bow  and  arrow. 

This  was  the  most  magnificent  preparation  for  hunting 
that  I  had  yet  seen.  We  marched  in  three  parallel  lines; 
the  chief  of  llie  Grand  Pawnees  occupying  the  from  of 
the  cenire,  from  whence  he  issued,  from  time  to  lime, 
the  requisite  orders.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  select 
body  of  the  principal  warriors  and  medicine-men.  With 
the  latter  he  pretended  to  consult  frequently;  and  the 
whole  line  was  halted  until  their  consultation  was  ended, 
when  it  was  immediately  communicated  from  front  to 
rear  by  running  criers,  who  shouted  in  the  true  loud  na- 
sal tone  of  a  villatre  bellman.     Not  a  man  was  allowed 


MARTIAL  APPEARANCE   OF  THE  CHIEF.  263 

to  leave  the  ranks;  and  the  discipline  seemed  as  strict 
as  among  regular  troops  on  a  march.  Soon  the  group 
surrounding  the  great  chief  advanced  a  little  in  front  of 
the  main  body,  and  I  aitached  myself  to  it  for  two  rea- 
sons ;  first,  I  wished  to  see,  and,  if  possible,  to  under- 
stand, the  arrangements  made  for  the  chase ;  and,  se- 
condly, I  was  anxioub  to  ride  by  the  great  chief,  and  to 
endeavour,  by  making  him  such  civil  speeches  as  my 
limited  knowledge  of  his  language,  assisted  by  signs, 
would  permit,  to  do  away  the  grudge  which  this  mali- 
cious, treacherous,  and  vindictive  man  seemed  to  bear 
me. 

When  I  approached,  he  separated  himself  from  his  re- 
tinue, whom  he  did  not  wish  to  have  within  earshot  of 
our  conversation,  and  rode  slowly  toward  me.  I  could 
not  help  being  struck  by  his  grotesque,  yet  martial  ap- 
pearance, which  I  will  endeavour  to  describe.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  light  dun  or  cream-coloured  sleed,  whose 
long  mane  and  frontlock,  wild  fiery  eye,  and  light  active 
form,  showed  it  to  be  a  child  of  the  Western  wilderness. 
Seated  in  a  Mexican  peak-saddle,  covered  with  a  wolf- 
skin, he  seemed  a  part  of  the  animal  which  he  bestrode  ; 
so  naturally  and  firmly  were  the  muscular  thighs,  wdiich 
his  singular  dress  allowed  to  be  visible,  attached  to  the 
horse's  side. 

On  his  head  he  wore  a  kind  of  turban,  made  from  a 
red-silk  shawl,  from  beneath  which  his  small,  sly,  rest- 
less eyes  peered  \v  j,h  a  keen  malicious  expression  ;  but 
the  most  remarkable  feature  in  liis  unprepossessing  coun- 
tenance was  the  moutli  which,  without  being  large  or  un- 
derjawed,  was  strongly  indicative  of  many  of  the  most 
prevalent  and  dangerous  vices  of  the  Indian  character. 
No  man  of  ordinary  penetration  could  look  at  him  without 
seeiufj  sensuality,  falsehood,  and  the  more  dark  and  re- 
vengeful passions,  stamped  legibly  on  hij  countenance.* 
On  his  legs  he  wore  the  usual  deer-skin  leggins,  and  on 

*  This  chief's  character,  which  I  here  drew,  partly  from  slight  observa- 
tioTi,  partly  from  the  iuforraalion  of  others,  proved  afterward  to  answer  ex- 
actly to  my  description.     Ilis  son,   Pae-tae-lae-cha'r6,   with  whom  my 

companion  V lodged,  was  an  exact  coun'erpart  and  copy  of  him, 

except  that,  in  personal  proportions  and  strength,  he  had  greatly  the 
advantage  over  his  father. 


^64  MARTIAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE   CHIEF. 

his  feet  braided  moccasins,  over  which  were  buckled  a 
pair  of  huge  old-fasliioued  Spanish  gilt  spurs.  In  one 
hand  he  carried  a  hght  single-barrelled  fowling-piece. 
His  girdle,  which  was  another  red-silk  shawl,  supported 
a  long  hunting-knife.  In  his  left  hand  he  held  the  reins 
of  a  heavy  and  highly  ornamented  Spanish  bridle,  with  a 
curved  bit,  long  enough  to  break  the  jaw  of  any  horse 
that  sfiould  venture  to  pull  against  it,  and  which,  from 
the  gilt  stars,  chains,  and  buckles  which  adorned  it, 
seemed  to  have  belonged  to  the  same  cavallero  of  the 
seventeenth  century  as  the  spurs  which  1  before  men- 
tioned. 

All  this  portion  of  the  chief's  costume  was  picturesque 
and  in  character,  but  that  upon  which  he  chiefly  prided 
himself  threw  an  air  of  ridicule  over  the  whole  (alas  ! 
such  a  failing  is  to  be  found  annong  white  as  well  as  red 
men) — I  mean,  a  common,  ill-made,  cloth  coat,  with  brass 
buttons,  which  had  been  brought  out  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth by  the  deputation  with  whom  I  had  travelled.  A 
lad  beside  him  cairied  his  bow  and  arrows,  in  the  use  of 
which  his  dexterity  is  almost  unequalled,  and  on  which 
he  relied  for  victory,  whether  over  biped  or  quadruped 
foes  ;  the  gun  which  he  carried  being  used,  like  his  coat, 
for  show,  not  use,  and  both  cast  away  when  the  chase- 
signal  or  the  war-cry  was  given. 

Such  was  the  chief  to  whom  I  now  doffed  my  hat  with 
the  usual  salutation.  We  must  have  been  an  excellent 
pair,  if  he  could  only  give  to  the  public  as  faithful  a  de- 
scription of  me  as  I  have  of  him.  I  will  endeavour  to 
do  it  myself,  as  im[)artially  as  I  can.  I  was  mounted  on 
m\  favourite  sorrel  ;*  and  she,  at  least,  could  bear  com- 
parison with  the  chiefs  steed  in  swiftness,  strength,  and 
endurance,  and  was  very  superior  in  docility  and  gentle- 
ness :  on  my  head  was  a  broad-brimmed  low-crowned 
hat,  which,  from  having  often  performed  the  double  of- 
fice of  pillow  and  night-cap  by  night,  and  of  umbrella  by 
day,  was  almost  indescribable  in  respect  to  form  ;  a  blue 
shirt,  and  a  black  velveteen  shooting-jacket  with  enor- 
mous pockets,  stuffed  full  of  a  strange  miscellany  of  re- 

*  la  England  called  roan. 


TJONVERSATION  WITH  THE  CHIEF.  265 

quisites,  ciDvered/niy  upper  man  ;  I  wore  neither  neck- 
cloth, braces,  nor  waistcoat;  round  my  waist  was  a 
strong  leather  belt,  in  which  were  stuck  my  hunting- 
knife,  and  a  brace  of  pistols  in  front,  and  at  the  side,  a 
short  heavy  iron-handled  cnt-and-lhrust  sword,  such  as 
is  sometimes  used  in  Germany  in  a  boar-hunt,  and  nearly 
resembling  the  old  Roman  sword  ;  my  nether  extremi- 
ties were  protected  by  a  pair  of  stout  corderoy  breeches 
and  buckskin  leggins,  all  fitting  close  to  the  leg;  and  in 
my  right  hand  was  my  faithful  double-barrelled  rifle.  I 
ought  to  add,  that  my  visage  was  tanned  nearly  of  an  In- 
dian colour,  and  was  ornamented  or  disfigured  by  a  pair 
of  long  mustaches. 

Such  were  the  two  persons  who  now  met  to  hold  con- 
ference between  the  Pawnee  lines.  I  saw  at  once  that 
the  chief  was  vexed  and  displeased  ^  so,  after  two  or 
three  brief  remarks  respecting  the  fineness  of  the  day, 
.and  the  abundant  marks  of  buffalo  in  the  prairie,  I  held 
my  peace,  and  waited  for  him  to  break  the  ice  after  his 
own  fashion.  It  was  not  long  before  he  did  so,  by 
abruptly  remarking,  "  It  is  not  good  that  the  Nesliada-ta- 
ka  (the  wliite  chief)  docs  not  visit  the  lodge  of  the  grand 
chief."  I  told  him,  as  well  as  I  could,  that  1  had  travel- 
Jed  with  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  from  the  white  men's  country- — 
that  he  was  good  to  me — that  he  was  my  father,  and  that 
it  would  not  be  good  for  me  to  leave  his  lodge.  He  re- 
turned to  the  charge  more  warmly,  saying,  "that  I  was 
a  great  white  chief,  and  a  friend  of  his  grandfather,  (mean- 
ing the  President  of  the  United  States.)  That  I  ca"me 
to  smoke  the  pipe  and  to  hunt  with  the  Pawnees,  and 
that  he  was  the  great  chief,  and  that  it  was  an  insult  to 
him  not  to  live  in  his  lodge."  I  repeated  again  that  "  i 
had  travelled  many  days  with  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  before  I  had 

see?!  him — that  my  companion  V had  come  with  his 

son,.Pa^-tae-la^-cha'rd,  and  therefore  remained  with  him  ; 
and  that,  after  eating  and  sleeping  so  long  in  the  lodges 
of  our  hosts,  it  would  not  be  right  to  leave  them." 

Unfortunately,  I  here  touched  upon  another  cord  which 
jarred  upon  the  chief's  feelings,  by  alluding  to  his  son, 
with  whom,  as  I  afterward  learned,  he  was  by  no  means 
upon  a  friendly  fooling.     My  explanation  only  extracted 

Vol.  L— Z 


266  EQUIPMENT  OP  WARRIORS. 

an  "  ugh  ;"  and  he  soon  left  me,  with  a  countenance  at 
least  as  dark  and  ill-humoured  as  when  he  joined  me. 
When  he  galloped  again  to  the  head  of  his  retinue,  I 
could  not  help  admiring  the  picturesque  and  warlike  ap- 
pearance of  the  warriors  around  him.  Some  of  these 
were  dressed  in  buffalo-robes,  gorgeously  painted ;  tw^o 
or  three  of  the  principal  warriors  (who  had  belonged  to 
the  deputation  sent  to  Fort  Leavenworth)  had  been  pre- 
sented with  common  English  round  hats ;  these  they 
had  stuck  on  their  heads,  stiJl  enveloped  in  the  brown 
paper  and  string  in  which  they  had  been  wrapt  up  in  the 
store,  and  which  they  considered  "  great  m.edicine  :"  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  restrain  a  smile  on  seeing  a  dig- 
nified Indian  thus  accoutred.  Others  w^ore  blankets, 
blue  or  white,  which  hung  in  negligent  folds,  or  floated 
gracefully  in  the  wind,  according  to  the  speed  at  wdiich 
the  rider  moved ;  others  again,  of  the  younger  chiefs, 
were  attired  in  the  extreme  of  Pawnee  dandyism,  in  scar- 
let cloth,  with  beads  on  their  arms  and  necks,  and  all 
their  bridles  glittering  and  jingling  with  ornaments ; 
while  others  remained  entirely  naked,  displaying  as  they 
rode  the  faultless  proportion  of  their  limbs,  and,  to  the 
e3^e  of  taste,  were  more  gloriously  equipped,  as  they 
thus  came  from  thelitfnd  of  the  Creator,  than  their  mot- 
ley and  fantastic  biethren,  whom  I  have  before  described. 
These  naked  hunters  had  all  a  belt  round  the  waist, 
from  which  hung  a  small  cloth,  or  kerchief,  and  in  the 
folds  of  the  belt  were  concealed  their  knife,  tobacco, 
tinder,  and  flint,  and  the  other  trifles  which  an  Indian 
always  has  with  him.  On  their  back  was  the  quiver, 
every  arrow  in  which  was  carefully  examined  and  new- 
ly-pointed ;*  in  their  right  hand  the  bow,  and  in  their 
left  hand  the  simple  thong  or  laryelie,  which  was  used 
instead  of  a  bridle  ;  some  had  saddles,  but  the  greater 
part  of  them  only  interposed  a  strip  of  bufl'alo's  hide  be- 
tween the  person  and  the  horse. 

*■  It  is  well  known  to  all  travellers  who  have  visited  the  Indians  of  the 
West,  that  they  have  two  kinds  of  arrows,  one  for  hunting,  the  other 
for  war.  The  former  has  a  head  formed  like  the  point  of  an  ordinary 
lance,  or  sometimes  an  isosceles  triangle,  with  a  very  narrow  base  ;  the 
latter  is  barbed  like  the  point  of  a  fish-hook,  obviously  that  a  wounded 
enemy  may  not  be  able  to  extract  it. 


FORCED    MARCH.  267 

We  rode  many  miles  in  this  manner,  making  occasional 
halts,  ^vhen  the  great  chief  received  the  reports  of  the 
scouts  ;  and,  according  to  their  tenom',  sent  his  procla- 
mations along  the  line.  At  length,  orders  were  given 
to  advance  at  a  gallop,  but  to  keep  our  ranks,  none  being 
allowed  to  go  in  front  of  the  chiefs,  or  beyond  a  certain 
distance  on  the  flanks,  under  pain  of  a  severe  flogging ; 
a  penalty  which  the  soldiers  are  by  no  means  remiss  in 
inflicting.*  The  bufl'alo  were  still  at  a  distance,  and  we 
had  as  yet  seen  none  ;  but  we  continued  our  rapid  march 
for  above  an  hour  :  and  here  I  could  not  but  admire  the 
activity  and  endurance  of  these  savage  hunters  :  the  day 
was  intolerably  hot,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  breath  of 
air  to  temper  the  rays  of  a  burning  sun. 

It  was  now  two  or  three  o'clock  ;  we  had  been  in  the 
saddle,  without  rest  or  food,  since  four  in  the  morning,  and. 
were  making  a  forced  march,  which  kept  the  horses  at  a 
short  canter,  or  round  trot,  of  eight  miles  an  hour ;  yet  did 
numbers  of  these  Pawnees  vault  off"  their  horses,  and  run 
by  the  side  of  them,  in  order  that  they  might  be  fresh  and 
ready  as  soon  as  the  bufl'alo  should  be  in  sight.  My 
good  steed  showed  some  signs  of  weariness  and  exhaus- 
tion from  the  extreme  heat ;  and  as  1  was  determined  to 
keep  her  in  order  for  what  might  befall  me  on  my  return, 
I  dismounted,  very  reluctantly,  and  mounted  a  small 
half-broke  Indian  horse,  which  my  old  chief  sometimes 
lent  to  me.  This  carefulness  of  my  roan  nearly  cost 
me  my  life,  as  will  soon  appear. 

At  length  a  momentary  halt  was  given,  and  a  hurried 
proclamation  issued,  that  the  "  men  must  be  ready." 
We  were  drawn  up  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  below  which 
was  a  valley  of  no  great  depth,  and  on  the  other  side 
another  hill,  intersected  by  many  ravines,  down  each 
of  v/hich  a  black  living  torrent  was  pouring  into  the 
valley.  In  fact,  a  large  body  of  Indians  had  been  sent 
round  to  head  them  ;  a  manoeuvre  which  they  had  suc- 
cessfully executed,  and  they  were  already  plying  their 
fatal  arrows   amoncr  the   rear  herds.     A  dreadful  shout, 


o 


*  On  one  occasion  a  younger  son  of  Sa-ni  tsa  rish  received  a  severe 
whipping  for  hunting,  and  bringing  us  some  buffalo  meat,  contrary  to 
the  orders  of  the  day. 


268  ATTACK    THE    HEKDS. 

or  yell  was  now  raised,  and  we  rushed  down  to  meet 
them,  every  man  striving  to  be  the  first  to  reach  the  devo* 
ted  band.  As  soon  as  tiiey  became  aware  of  these  new 
foes  in  their  front,  they  seemed  to  forget  all  their  usual 
habits  of  following  a  particular  track  or  leader,  and  gal- 
lopped  in  any  direction  to  which  chance  or  terror  drove 
ihem.  It  was,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
sights  I  ever  beheld,  to  see  these  hairy  monsters  rushing 
with  headlong  speed  down  the  declivities,  snorting, 
bellowing,  and  regardless  of  shouts  or  arrows  ;  some 
rolling  over  lifeless  under  the  shafts  of  their  merciless 
persecutors;  some  standing  still,  w'nh  erect  tail,  blooa- 
shot  eye,  and  nostrils  frothed  with  blood,  waiting  in  vain 
for  the  crafty  enemy  to  approach  within  reach  of  their 
dying  rush ;  and  others  breaking  through  all  opposition, 
and  studding  the  most  distant  part  of  the  landscape  with 
black  specks,  which  gradually  diminished,  and  were  at 
length  lost  to  view. 

Alas  !  I  had  more  leisure  for  examining  this  prospect 
than  was  altogether  agreeable  to  me  as  a  hunter ;  for  I 
was  soon  aware  that  the  animal  on  which  I  was  now 
mounted  had  neither  speed  nor  strength  to  carry  me 
among  the  foremost  ranks.  The  cows  are,  as  I  have  be- 
fore remarked,  so  much  more  tender  at  this  season,  and 
so  much  more  fleet  than  the  bulls,  that  they  were  the 
chief  object  of  pursuit,  and  w^ere  soon  driven,  by  the 
best  mounted  Indians,  far  beyond  my  reach.  Still  I  kept 
gallopping  on,  in  the  hope  that  some  fortunate  accident 
might  throw  me  in  the  way  of  one  which  had  been  over- 
looked. At  length  I  saw  a  cow  at  the  distance  of  some 
hundred  yards.  She  was  running  pretty  fast,  and  appa- 
rently unhurt;  but,  on  coming  up  to  her,  I  observed  an 
arrow  sticking  in  her  flank.  The  wound  did  not  seem 
serious  ;  but,  if  I  had  killed  her,  I  should  have  been 
obliged  to  give  her  meat  and  skin  up  to  the  fellow  who 
shot  that  arraw  ;  so  I  left  her  to  her  fate,  and  determined 
to  wage  war  with  some  of  tlie  lords  of  the  buftalo  race. 
Accordingly,  I  rode  toward  the  first  whom  Fate  threw 
in  my  way  :  and  he  seemed  by  no  means  inclined  to 
hurry  his  pace,  or  to  change  the  direction  in  which  he 
was  lazily  cantering  along.     He  was  indeed  a  raagniE- 


DANGEROUS    CONFLICT.  269 

cent  bull,  of  the  very  largest  size,  and  had  the  thickest 
fell  of  hair  that  I  had  seen  in  the  prairie.  When  I  cancie 
within  fifty  yards  on  his  right  flank,  I  rode  on  in  a  paral- 
lel line,  not  choosing  to  trust  my  small  and  uncertain 
horse  too  near  to  my  dangerous  neighbour ;  but  whene- 
ver I  raised  my  rifle  to  shoot,  the  fractious  animal  jumped 
and  sprang  aside,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  take  a  sure 
aim.  After  making  several  fruitless  endeavours  to  fire 
from  his  back,  I  dismounted,  and  throwing  the  bridle  over 
mv  left  arm,  took  a  deliberate  aim  at  the  bull  as  he  can- 
tered past  me,  at  about  the  same  distance  of  fifty  yards. 
The  ball  struck  a  few  mches  behind  the  heart,  bu^  did  not 
touch  it ;  one  moment  he  paused,  as  I  thought,  about  to 
fall,  but  it  was  only  to  glare  his  eye  fiercely  upon  me, 
lash  his  tail,  and  then  to  charge  me  at  full  speed.  Il 
may  be  beheved  that  I  was  not  long  in  jumping  on  my 
hoTse,  and  burying  the  spurs  in  his  flanks ;  but  so  wearied 
or  slow  was  he,  that  before  he  got  into  a  gallop,  the  bull 
was  within  a  few  yards  of  me. 

And  now  began  a  race  which  was  run  with  as  hearty 
good  will  of  the  contending  parties  (at  least  I  can  an- 
swer for  one  of  them),  as  any  trial  of  speed  on  earth 
since  poor  Hector  fled  round  the  walls  of  Troy.  It 
would  have  been  madness  to  expend  my  last  bullet  in  a 
random  shot,  so  I  reserved  it  for  a  mortal  struggle  in 
case  my  horse  and  I  should  be  overthrown ;  and,  in  the 
meantime,  urged  him  with  hand,  leg,  and  spur,  to  his 
utmost  exertions.  Indeed,  he  required  little  pressing  ; 
for  terror  lent  him  wings.  Whether  any  feelings  of  a 
similar  nature  occupied  his  rider,  I  do  not  feel  called 
upon  to  state,  as  I  am  not  at  confession  ;  but,  for  a  dis- 
tance between  seventy  and  a  hundred  yards,  I  knew  not 
how  the  race  would  terminate.  I  looked  over  my  right 
shoulder,  and  his  thundering  hoofs,  glaring  eyes,  and 
nostrils  throwing  out  bloody  froth,  were  close  at  my 
horse's  flank.  However,  I  could  soon  perceive  that, 
from  his  unwieldy  size,  and  the  severe  wound  I  had 
given  him,  he  was  failing  in  strength  ;  and,  accordingly, 
pressed  my  little  horse  to  place  me  yet  farther  out  of  his 
reach.  As  soon  as  he  saw  that  his  efforts  at  revenge 
had  failed,  he   stopped  short,  stamped,  blew,  bellowed, 

Z* 


270  DANGEROUS    CONFLICT. 

and  made  all  ihe  most  furious  gestures  of  rage  and  pain. 
Wiien  I  was  again  about  fifty  yards  fronfi  him,  I  pulled 
up,  and  determined  to  wait  two  or  three  minutes,  very 
prudently  reflecting,  that,  in  the  meantime  my  horse  was 
recovering  breath,  while  my  enemy  was  bleeding  and 
exhausting  himself  by  empty  demonstrations  of  fury. 
As  soon  as  I  thought  my  horse  ready  for  a  new  race,  if 
necessary,  I  again  dismounted,  and  fired  with  better  aim 
and  eflfect.  Th-e  bull  staggered  a  few  paces,  and  rolled 
in  the  dust. 

I  was  not  sorry  to  se-e  him  fall ;  for  I  felt  no  confi- 
dence in  my  horse,  and  was  not  by  any  means  sure  that 
the  next  race,  if  I  had  been  obliged  to  run  another,  would 
have  terminated  so  fortunately,  indeed,  I  h^d  been 
guilty  of  gross  imprudence  in  dismounting  so  near  to 
him,  while  his  tail  had  that  peculiar  curve  and  elevation 
■which  tlie  Indians  call  "  the  mad  tail."  T  had  received 
>\arning  on  the  subject^  but  do  not  remember  whether  I 
have  before  noted  it  down,  that  the  buffalo,  when  ga)- 
iopping  in  flight,  carries  his  tail  like  that  of  ordinary  cat- 
tle ;  Vrhen  wounded,  or  at  bay,  he  often  lashes  it,  or  car- 
ries it  over  his  back  ;  but  when  mad,  or  in  that  mood 
which  induces  him  to  attack  anything  within  his  reach,  he 
carries  it  nearly  hiorizontal,  with  a  slight  curve  in  the  mid- 
dle, like  some  of  the  lions  in  coats-of-arms.  Such  had 
been  the  case  with  my  late  opponent ;  and,  with  so  sorry  a 
steed,  I  ought  to  have  kept  at  a  more  respectful  distance. 
Having  given  him  the  coup  de  grace  with  my  hunting- 
knife,  I  fortunately  saw  two  Indians,  of  inferior  rank, 
with  a  horse,  and,  calling  to  them,  told  them  to  cut  up 
and  carry  the  meat  to  the  tent  of  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  and  to 
keep  what  they  chose  for  themselves.  This  latter  por- 
tion of  my  instructions  they  obeyed  more  faithfully  than 
the  former  ;  for  they  kept  it  all,  and  took  none  to  my  old 
chief.  In  truth,  I  was  not  very  anxious  about  it,  as  the 
flesh  of  this  veteran  was,  probably,  as  coarse  and  tough 
as  that  of  a  rhinoceros. 

My  nag  being  now  refreshed  by  half  an  hour's  rest 
and  grazing,  I  set  off*  in  quest  of  new  adventures,  and 
had  not  proceeded  far  before  I  perceived  a  dismounted 
Indian,  whose  horse  was  ripped  up  by  a  buffalo.     I  has- 


A  YOUNG  BULL  SHOT.  2Ti 

lened  forward,  and  killed  the  savage  animal,  which  was 
still  goring  and  stamping  on  its  unhappy  victim.  On 
approaching  the  unhorsed  cavalier,  1  recognized  my 
friend  lotanj  the  chief  of  the  Oloes.  He  knew  three 
words  of  English,  and  said,  "  Very  good  ;  very  good  ; 
ihankie."  Be  then  pointed  to  his  thigh,  the  whole  length 
of  which  the  buffalo's  horn  had  grazed,  without  entering, 
and  said  in  Pawnee,  ''Not  good;  not  good."*  I  saw 
that  he  was  a  good  deal  bruised,  and  offered  him  my 
horse  ;  but  he  laughed,  and  declined  it,  beginning  at  the 
same  time  to  cut  up  the  quarry.  One  of  his  Otoe  men 
coming  up,  I  left  them  together,  and  proceeded  on  my 
w^ay,  congratulating  myself  upon  having  escaped  better, 
than  the  chief,  who  lost  his  horse,  and  had  to  walk  back, 
to  camp. 

As  1  trotted  over  the  plain,  I  began  to  feel  the  crav- 
ings of  hunger  almost  to  a  painful  degree,  which  is  not 
to  be  w^ondered  at,  as  I  had  been  twelve  hours  in  hard 
exercise,  without  rest,  and  had  eaten  nothing  on  the  pre- 
ceding day.  After  riding  a  few  miles  farther,  I  saw  a 
small  herd  :  upon  giving  chase,  a  young  bull  fell  behii?d 
the  rest,  being  so  fat  that  he  could  not  keep  up  with 
them.  After  running  them  a  considerable  distance,  we 
came  to  a  very  narrow  steep  ravine  ;  and  as  1  saw  the 
leaders  cross  directly  up  the  opposite  side,  I  knew  thai 
th-e  fat  gentleman  would  follow  them  as  well  as  he  was 
able.  Accordingly,  I  dismounted,  examined  my  caps, 
and  prepared  for  a  comfortable  shot.  When  all  the  rest 
had  disappeared  over  the  opposite  brow,  he  toiled  lazily 
up  the  ascent.  As  soon  as  he  was  exactly  in  the  place 
where  I  wished  him  to  be,  and  not  more  than  forty  yards 
off,  r  fired.  He  turned  instantly,  gave  me  a  fierce  look, 
and  began  to  run  straight  toward  me  :  but  the  ball  had 
been  too  true  ;  he  required  no  second,  and  rolled  dead 
into  the  ravine  belcw. 

I  now  hobbled  my  horse,  took  off  my  jacket,  tucked 
up  my  sleeves,  drew  my  knife,  and  prepared  to  make  my 
coup  \Vessai  as  a  butcher.  Previously  to  eating  my  sa- 
vage and  solitary  meal,  T  looked  around.  There  Vv^as  not 
a  human  being  in  sight  to  assist  me  in  turning  over  the 

*Ka-ko6-ra-he,  a  word  compounded  of  ka  ki, '  not,'  and  to6-ra-he,  'good,' 


272  A  hunter's  meal, 

body,  which  is  hard  work  for  two  ordinary  men,  but  im- 
possible for  one  :  so  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself 
with  skinning  only  one  side.  My  knife  was  not  very 
sharp,  and  those  only  who  have  seen  and  proved  the 
skin  of  this  hairy  monster  can  judge  of  the  labour  of  the 
task.  After  an  hour's  unren:iiiting  work,  I  succeeded, 
and  then  went  on  to  open  the  body.  Without  much  dif- 
ficulty I  got  at  the  liver,  and  began  to  eat,  certainly  more 
like  a  wolf,  or  Indian,  than  a  Christian  man.  After  de- 
vouring several  large  morsels,  I  saw  a  hunter  coming 
toward  me  at  full  speed.  He  had  been  unsuccessful, 
and  was  hungry.  I  was  nearly  choked  with  thirst,  and, 
as  soon  as  he  arrived,  made  him  signs,  that  if  he  would 
fetch  me  water,  I  would  give  him  as  much  to  eat  as  he 
chose.  He  nodded  assent.  We  then  took  out  the  blad- 
der of  the  buffalo  ;  I  told  him  to  wash  it  well,  and  bring 
it  back  full  of  clear  water.  He  went  off  at  a  gallop, 
and,  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  came  back,  having 
executed  his  commission.  I  cannot  say  that  the  watee 
was  quite  crystal  \  but  I  never  enjoyed  a  more  delicious 
meal  than  this  raw  liver,  and  the  water,  such  as  it  was. 
The  Indian,  also,  showed  me  two  or  three  other  morsels, 
which  I  found  excellent ;  and  I  strongly  recommend  to 
any  gentleman  who  may  ever  find  himself  similarly  situ- 
ated, to  break  a  bone,  and  suck  the  marrow.* 

W^hen  he  had  satisfied  his  hunger,  my  new  ally  made 
me  signs  that  he  was  on  an  errand  for  one  of  the  chiefs^ 
and  must  hasten  away.  Having  told  him  that  he  might 
go,  and  seen  him  depart,  I  turned  again  to  my  dissecting 
operations ;  but,  ere  long,  was  once  more  interrupted  by 
the  arrival  on  the  spot  of  two  young  men,  mounted.  I 
did  not  know  either  of  them ;  neither  did  I  much  like 
their  appearance.  I  strongly  suspect  that  they  belong- 
ed to  the  Republique  Band,  who  are  always  the  most 
mischievous  and  dangerous  Indians  in  the  nation.' 

As  we  were  so  far  remote  from  all  observation,  I 
thought  it  better  to  place  my  rifle  (in  which  there  was 

*  I  hope  the  indulgent  reader  will  remember  that  I  had  eaten  nothing 
for  forty-eight  hours,  and  that  the  cravings  of  hunger  had  rendered  me 
almost  mad.  I  have  since  shuddered  at  the  wolfish  sensations  which  I 
remember  to  have  experienced  that  day. 


PERPLEXING    SITUATION.  273 

one  ball),  in  a  position  where  I  could  readily  snatch  it 
up ;  and,  with  a  loaded  pistol  in  my  belt,  I  stooped  over 
the  buffalo,  as  if  intent  upon  it,  but  actually  watching 
ihem.  When  they  came  up,  and  had  given  the  usual 
salutation,  they  examined  the  meat,  said  it  was  very 
good,  and  offered  to  help  me  in  cutting  it  up,  if  I  would 
make  them  a  present.  This  seasonable  assistance  was 
not  to  be  refused  ;  so  I  told  then:i,  if  they  would  do  so, 
and  assist  me  to  place  it  on  my  hoise,  I  would  give  one 
of  them  a  knife,  and  the  other,  one  or  two  papers  of 
rouge. 

They  seemed  satisfied,  and  proceeded  to  cut  away 
industriously  for  a  few  minutes  ;  and  I  must  confess 
with  skill  so  superior  to  mine,  that  they  did  more  in  that 
time  than  I  could  do  in  half  an  hour.  However,  they 
soon  slopped  ;  and  one  said  he  must  have  my  knife,  the 
other  that  he  wanted  a  trifle  that  was  hanging  by  a  silk 
chain  round  my  neck.  I  told  them  no, — they  should 
have  what  I  originally  promised.  They  seemed  very 
angry  at  this,  and  said  they  would  cut  no  more.  I  told 
them,  "  it  was  very  good,  they  might  ride  on."  One  then 
approached,  and  was  proceeding  to  place  on  his  horse 
the  meat  that  he  and  his  companion  had  cut,  while  the 
latter  sneaked  round  the  buffalo,  and  began  to  paw  and 
handle  the  butt-end  of  the  rifle.  I  did  not  like  the  pro- 
ceedings of  these  two  ill-looking  rascals,  nor  the  glances 
which  they  exchanged  with  each  other,  and  not  wishing 
to  trust  them  too  far,  took  up  my  rifle,  and  told  them 
gravely  that  the  meat  was  mine,  and  they  should  not  take 
it  away,  but  if  they  were  willing  to  cut  it  up,  that  I  would 
make  them  the  presents  I  had  promised.  They  said 
very  angrily  they  would  cut  no  more.  I  then  sat  down 
quietly  by  the  buffalo,  examined  the  cap  of  my  pistol, 
and  told  them  they  had  better  go  to  the  camp  ;  they 
muttered  a  few  words  together,  which  I  did  not  under- 
stand, and  rode  ofl". 

I  then  collected  all  the  meat  which  I  and  they  had  cut, 
and  stripping  the  hide  into  thongs,  strung  the  masses  of 
flesh,  amounting  to  about  a  hundred  weight,  upon  them, 
in  the  usual  Indian  fashion,  including  the  tongue,  heart, 
fat,  and  what  remained  of  the  liver.     1  had  not  my  com- 


274  PERPLEXING    SITUATION. 

pass  with  me,  and  after  the  circles  and  deviations  which 
I  had  njade  in  the  course  of  the  chase,  it  was  by  no  means 
easy  to  find  either  the  distance  or  direction  of  the  camp, 
especially  as  ihe  great  chief  had  sent  back  messengers 
after  the  hunt  began,  ordering  them  to  move  their  en- 
campment to  the  banks  of  some  streamlet  indicated  to 
them,  but  totally  unknown  to  me.  However,  I  knew  it 
must  be  somewhere  between  north  and  east ;  I  had  watch- 
ed the  Indians  who  had  left  me  ;  and  putting  these  two 
sources  of  information  together,  I  made  up  my  mind  as 
to  the  course  I  would  steer,  and  having  un-hobbled  my 
horse,  proceeded  to  sling  the  meat  over  his  back. 

He  stood  perfectly  quiet  till  I  had  put  on  all  but  the 
last  and  heaviest  sling  of  flesh,  this  required  both  my 
hands,  and  just  as  I  threw  it  over  his  back,  the  restive 
animal  reared  up,  struck  me  on  the  head,  knocked  me 
down,  and  gallopped  off.  Not  being  hurt,  I  jumped  up, 
and  saw  him  kicking,  leaping,  and  flinging,  till  he  had 
scattered  all  my  hard-earned  meat  over  the  prairie,  then 
he  cantered  leisurely  down  the  valley  after  the  Indians 
who  had  left  me.  Though  he  v/as  not  an  Eclipse,  I  could 
not  hope  to  overtake  him  on  foot ;  so  I  walked  about,  and 
collected  together  all  the  disjecta  membra  which  had  al- 
ready cost  me  so  much  trouble,  and  forming  them  into  a 
heap,  sat  down  to  ruminate. 

My  case  seemed  this.  The  camp  was  moved  I  knew 
not  whither,  but  certainly  was  at  some  distance.  I  was 
alone,  and  out  of  hail  of  all  assistance  ;  nay,  I  could  see 
the  two  scoundrels  who  had  left  me,  driving  my  horse 
far  away,  instead  of  endeavouring  to  catch  him  for  me, 
and  I  made  an  internal  resolution  to  reward  them  as  they 
deserved,  if  ever  the}^  gave  me  an  opportunity  ;  I  had 
also  before  me  the  prospect  of  a  long  walk  in  oppressively 
hot  weather,  added  to  the  uncertainty  of  finding  the  camp, 
whither  I  was  obliged  to  devise  some  means  of  car- 
rying my  rifle,  my  pistols,  my  large  thick  shooting-jacket, 
and  my  hundred  weight  of  meat. 

From  this  prospect  I  turned  to  my  actual  state,  sitting, 
as  I  was,  on  the  ground,  with  my  hands,  arms,  and  face 
saturated  and  glued  w^ilh  blood  ;  it  was  indeed,  too  much, 
and  I  burst  into  an  uncontrollable  fit  of  lauduer.   I  then 


A   FRIEND    IN    NEED.  275 

began  to  think  of  the  strange  and  varied  notions  of  plea- 
sure entertained  by  different  men,  and  could  not  help 
questioning  whether  my  Pawnee  trip,  voluntarily  incur- 
red, with  its  accompaniments,  did  not  render  the  sanity 
of  my  mind  a  matter  of  some  doubt. 

I\Iy  musings  were  interrupted  by  seeing  an  Indian  ap- 
pear on  the  opposite  heights,  and  ride  along  them  to- 
ward the  camp.  I  made  signals,  and  shouted  for  him 
to  come  toward  me  ;  he  did  so  ;  and,  on  his  near  ap- 
proach, I  saw  that  his  horse  was  laden  with  meat,  and 
that  he  was  a  fellow  of  a  fine,  open,  bold  expression  of 
countenance.  I  told  him  my  tale  in  brief;  and  when  I 
described  to  him  how  the  two  young  men  had  frightened 
away  instead  of  catching  and  restoring  my  horse,  he 
frowned  and  said,  they  were  "  bad  men  ;"  and  with- 
out another  word,  threw  all  the  meat  from  his  horse,  and 
galloped  off  in  pursuit.  I  wondered  how  he  had  so 
readily  understood  my  broken  Pawnee  ;  but  I  suppose 
that  in  this,  as  in  every  other  case,  distress  and  earnest- 
ness produced  eloquence  ! 

In  half  an  hour  he  returned,  bringing  with  him  my  truant 
steed.  I  thanked  him  by  gestures,  (for  in  their  language 
there  is  no  word  for  "  thank  you,")  but  he  seemed  to  un- 
derstand me,  for  he  smiled  and  appeared  in  very  good 
humour.  I  assisted  him  to  load  his  horse,  and  he  per- 
formed the  same  office  for  me  ;  as  both  steeds  were 
weary,  I  only  added  the  weight  of  my  jacket  to  the 
meat,  threw  the  bridle  on  my  arm,  shouldered  my  rifle, 
and  walked  by  the  side  of  my  good-natured  companion  ; 
here  I  amused  myself  by  prosecuting  my  studies  in  his 
language. 

After  we  had  walked  four  or  five  miles,  we  overtook 
an  Indian  crawling  along  by  the  side  of  his  horse,  at  a 
pace  which  showed  one  or  both  to  be  nearly  disabled. 
On  coming  close  to  them  we  found  tliat  they  had  been 
both  overthrown  by  a  bull  ;  the  man  had  escaped  with 
a  few  severe  bruises,  but  the  poor  animal  had  two  deep 
gashes  in  his  hams  into  which  I  could  have  thrust  my 
hands.  I  endeavoured  to  persuade  him  to  let  me  put  it 
out  of  pain  ;  but  he  insisted  upon  dragging  it  on  towards 
the  camp,  which,  however,  it  never  reached. 


276  RETURN    TO    THE    CAMP. 

As  my  companion  had  not  asked  for  any  reward  for 
bis  trouble  or  assistance,  I  was  the  more  anxious  to  give 
him  one,  and,  having  nothing  about  me,  I  desired  him  as 
soon  as  we  should  reach  the  camp  to  come  to  my  lodge, 
and  I  would  give  him  some  tobacco,  rouge,  &c.  He 
said,  it  was  "  very  good,  but  he  could  not  come  to  night, 
as  his  tent  was  far,  but  ^e  would  come  in  the  morning," 
After  three  hours'  brisk  walking  we  came  in  sight  of 
the^  fires,  shook  hands  and  parted,  as  his  lodge  was  to 
the  east,  and  I  knew  mine  must  be  to  the  west  of  the  en- 
campment. 

When  I  arrived  before  Sa-ni-tsa-rish's  lodge  with  my 
nag  thus  laden,  the  chief's  wives  and  daugliters  came 
out  to  look  after  the  horse  and  meat ;  and  while  they 
were  unloading,  I  walked  in  and  sat  down  with  the  dig- 
nified gravity  of  a  mandarin.  This  was  easier  to  assume 
than  it  was  to  maintain,  for  the  squaws  interchanged 
most  comic  glances  in  silence  while  they  unpacked  the 
meat,  and  saw  the  uncouth  and  strange  nature  of  the  white 
chief's  butchery;  for,  as  I  had  been  unable  to  cut  up 
the  whole  animal,  I  had  merely  picked  out  the  largest 
masses  of  solid  meat  and  fat,  the  forms  and  shapes  of 
which  were  of  the  most  fantastic  and  irregular  descrip- 
tion. I  hope  they  thought  it  was  done  according  to  the 
white  man's  medicine ;  at  all  events,  it  would  tend  to 
raise  me  in  their  estimation,  to  see  that  I  could  bring 
home,  as  well  as  kill,  buffalo  meat. 


MEDICINE    CEREMONIES.  277 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Medicine  Ceremonies. — Instance  of  ungovernable  Temper  and  Cruelty 
in  a  young  Indian.— Indian  Horse-dealers. — Bargaining  anecdotes. 
— Hiring  a  Guide.  — Knavery  of  the  Great  Chief — Huntlncr  Party  of 
Delawares  and  Shawnees. — Conversation  withthpm. — Dishke  of  the 
Pawnees  to  their  new  Guests— Pride  of  the  Delawares. — Unequal 
Conflict. — Skilful  Retreat. — Delaware  and  Shawnee  Languages. — 
Departure  of  the  Visiters. 

I  LEVRNED  that  in  the  biinl  already  described,  a  o-ood 
many  Indians  had  been  bruised  or  wounded,  and  several 
horses  killed.  Among  ihos'^  who  were  hurt,  was  a  chief 
of  some  distinction;  he  had  a  few  ribs  and  one  of  his 
arms  broken.  The  seuingr  of  this  last,  together  with  the 
completion  of  his  wound-dressing,  was  to  be  accompa- 
nied with  much  ceremony,  so  I  determined  to  be  a  spec- 
tator. I  went  accordingly  to  his  lodge,  where  a  great 
crowd  was  already  assembled,  and  with  some  difficulty 
made  my  way  through  to  the  inner  circle.  Not  being 
quite  sure  that  I  was  permitted  to  see  these  mysteries, 
and  being  fully  aware  of  the  danger  of  breaking,  even 
unintentionally,  any  of  their  medicine-rules,  I  kept  myself 
as  quiet  and  unobserved  as  possible.  Before  the  lodge, 
and  in  the  centre  of  the  semicircle,  sat,  or  rather  reclined, 
the  wounded  man,  supported  by  one  or  two  packs  of 
skins,  and  on  each  side  of  him  a  row  of  his  kindred  ;  the 
elder  warriors  occupied  the  front,  the  younger  the  second 
places,  and  behind  them,  close  to  the  lodge,  were  the 
boys,  squaws,  &c. 

A  profound  silence  was  observed  ;  and  when  all  the 
medicine-men  and  relaiivee  had  arrived  and  taken  their 
seats,  a  great  medicine-pipe  was  brought  and  passed 
round,  with  the  usual  ceremonial  observances  of  a  certain 
number  of  whiffs  to  the  Earth,  the  FJuffalo  Spirit,  and 
the  (jlreat  Spirit;  the  pipe  was  not  handed  to  the 
wounded  man,  probably  because  he  was  supposed  to  be 
for  the  time  under  the  influence  of  a  bad  spirit,  and  ihere- 

VOL.  I.— Aa 


278  CRUELTY. 

fore  not  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  medicine.  When 
this  smoking  ceremony  was  conchided,  three  or  four  of 
the  doctors  or  conjurors,  and  a  few  of  ihe  great  medicine- 
men, assembled  round  him  ;  the  former  proceeded  to 
feel  his  side  and  apply  some  remedy  to  it  ;  while  one  of 
them  set  the  arm,  and  bound  it  very  strongly  round  with 
leather  and  thongs.  During  this  operation,  the  medi- 
cine-men stooped'  over  him,  and  went  through  sundry 
mummeries  which  I  could  not  accurately  distinguish. 

As  soon  as  the  bandages  and  dressings  were  completed, 
they  began  a  medicine-dance  around  him.  At  first  the 
movement  was  slow,  and  accompanied  by  the  low  ordi- 
nary chant ;  but  gradually  both  acqun*ed  violence  and 
rapidity,  till  at  length  ihey  reached  the  height  of  fury  ai.d 
frenzy.  They  swung  their  tomahawks  round  the  head 
of  the  wounded  man,  rushed  upon  him  with  the  most 
dreadful  yells,  shook  the  weapons  violently  in  his  face, 
jumped  repeatedly  over  him,  pretending  each  time  to  give 
him  the  fatal  blow,  then  checking  it  as  it  descended  ;  and, 
while  once  or  twice  I  saw  them  push  and  kick  his  limbs, 
one  of  the  most  excited  siruck  him  several  very  severe 
blows  on  the  breast.  On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  all  these 
gesticulations  were  intended  to  threaten  and  banish  the 
i'ivil  Spirit,  w-hich  was  supposed  to  have  possessed  him. 
"While  this  was  going  on,  a  complete  silence  reigned 
throughout  the  crowd,  none  being  permitted  to  dance  or 
yell  except  those  actually  engaged  in  the  medicine- 
ceremonies. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  moved  our  camp  a  few 
miles  southward,  and  could  now  see,  at  a  great  distance, 
the  verdant  fringe  of  limber  which  marked  the  course  of 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Arkansas.  Here  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  remarking  the  strange  materials  of  which  an 
Indian's  temper  is  composed,  and  wliich  it  is  necessary 
for  a  white  man  resident  among  them,  who  has  any  re- 
gard for  his  life,  to  watch  and  study  carefully.  The 
lodges  were  all  packed,  the  curved  poles  trailing  behind 
the  mules,  and  the  busy  squaws  adjusting,  with  their 
usual  chattering,  scolding,  and  active  bustle,  the  loads 
of  the  different  animals,  when  one  of  the  younger  lads 
brought  to  the  son  of  ISa-ni-tsa-rish  his  favourite  buffalo 


CRUELTY.  279 

horse,  which  he  was  going  to  ride  (contrary  to  custom) 
on  the  march. 

I  have  before  described  this  young  man  as  a  great 
Pawnee  dandy  ;  we  had  hunted  antelope  and  elk  several 
times  together,  and  I  always  considered  him  very  quiet 
and  good-tempered;  he  used  to  call  me  his  brother;  and 
while  we  were  going  to  or  returning  from  a  hunt,  would 
teach  me  Pawnee  words  and  phrases.  He  was  now 
holding  in  his  hand  a  kind  of  Mexican  bridle,  which  he 
wished  to  put  over  the  head  of  his  horse  ;  but  the  latter, 
a  fine  half-broke  animal,  backed,  andxwould  not-let  him 
approach.  With  the  foolish  violence  common  among 
Indians  on  such  occasions,  he  stood  directly  before  it 
hauling  hard  upon  the  laryelte(or  halter) :  of  course,  this 
made  the  animal  pull  against  hun,  and  back  still  farther; 
when,  with  a  sudden  movement  of  rage,  he  drew  his 
scalp-knife,  sprang  at  the  horse  like  a  tiger,  and  buried 
the  knife  in  its  eye  ! 

The  old  chief  was  standing  by,  looking  on  with  the  im- 
perturbable nerves  of  an  Indian  :  he  neither  spoke  a 
word  nor  moved  a  muscle,  because  the  young  man  was 
grown  up,  and  was  among  the  warriors  of  the  tribe  ;  but 
1  could  not  resist  saying  to  the  former,  "  That  was  not 
good."  He  answered,  gravely,  "  No."  I  then  turned  to 
observe  the  son.  As  soon  as  he  became  sensible  of  what 
he  had  done  in  a  moment  of  passion,  he  was  vexed  and 
ashanred,  but  too  haughty  to  show  it ;  and,  walking  to  a 
spot  about  twenty  yards' distant,  and  throwing  his  scarlet 
blanket  over  his  shoulder,  he  drew  himself  up  to  his  full 
height,  and  there  stood  a  motionless  statue.  The  camp 
moved  on,  and  long  after  the  last  straggler  had  left  the 
place,  I  saw  him  standing  in  the  same  attitude  and  on 
the  same  spot.  The  poor  horse  was  led  off  by  one  of 
the  boys  ;  and,  as  I  saw  tiie  heavy  drops  of  blood  "  cours- 
ing each  other  down  his  innocent  nose,"  during  all  the 
march  of  that  day,  while  the  hanfjing  head,  the  flapping 
ears,  and  the  trailing  limbs,  showed  the  acuteness  of  his 
sufferings,  I  wished  to  terminate  them  by  putting  a  mus- 
ket-ball through  his  head  ;  but  it  would  not  have  been 
prudent  to  ask  permission  so  to  do — and  I  went  on  my 
way,  sickened  with  disgust  at  the  ungoverned  passions 


2S0  INDIAN    HORSE-DEALERS. 

and  cruelty  of  the  young  chief.  He  felt,  however, 
though  he  would  not  display  them,  boih  sorrow  and 
shame  ;  for  he  kept  aloof  from  the  band  all  day,  and 
never  afterward  alluded  to  the  circumstnnce. 

I  now  began  to  bargain  in  earnest  for  horses  where- 
with to  return  to  the  fort ;  for  we  required  three  or  four, 
and  our  remaining  articles  of  exchange  were  scarcely 
sufficient  to  procure  ihem.  Certainly  1  never,  even 
among  horse-dealers,  met  with  such  impudent  cheats  and 
extortioners  as  my  Pawnee  friends.  They  knew  that  I 
must  buy  horses,  and  determined  to  have  their  own  price. 

After  looking  at  and  rejecting  two  or  three  scarecrow 
animals  which  were  brought  for  me  to  examine,  one  of 
which  was  lame,  another  blind  and  broken-winded,  and 
another  twenty-five  years  old,  I  determined  to  adopt  the 
advice  of  my  old  chief,  which  was  to  spread  out  my 
stores  before  his  lodge,  setting  apart  the  exact  quantity 
which  J  meant  to  offer  for  one  horse  ;  and  then  to  send 
the  heralds  through  the  village  to  cry  aloud  that  the 
white  chief  wanted  horses,  and  was  willing  to  trade.  I 
also  sent  for  the  half-French  interpreter,  in  case  any  ex- 
planation being  required  ;  although  perfectly  aware  that 
in  driving  bargains  he  would  lake  part  with  the  Pawnees, 
and  not  with  me*  Accordingly,  a  good  many  were 
brought  for  me  to  inspect.  Some  I  rejected  at  once, 
others  I  jumped  upon  and  rode  for  one  or  two  hundred 
yards  ;  at  length  I  found  one  which  was  neither  lame, 
blind,  nor  very  old,  and  bought  it,  after  much  disputing 
on  both  sides,  for  three  blankets,  and  the  usual  accompa- 
niments of  knives,  powder,  lead,  beads,  &ic. 

About  this  time  the  great  chief  came  to  pay  me  a  visit. 
I  gave  him  some  coffee,  of  which  a  little  of  my  original 
stock  remained  (and  of  which  the  Indian  agent  had  also 

*  I  have  t)efore  mentioned  that  this  interpreter  was  an  Indian  in  tastes, 
habits,  language,  and  appearance,  thousli  he  called  himself  a  French 
Canadian.  lie  had  two  squaws  and  a  number  of  children.  I  know  not 
how  many  years  he  had  resided  among  the  Pawnees  ;  but  whenever  he 
tried  to  explain  anything  respecting  them  to  me  in  French,  he  always 
called  them  "  Les  Sauvages."  He  was  known  among  them  by  the 
name  of  I-sha-pa,  which  was,  I  believe,  a  corruption  of  La  Chapelle.  H» 
lived  with  the  Kepublican  Band  ;  and  I  rarely  saw  him,  except  when  I 
aent  for  him  on  some  such  occasion  as  the  present. 


BARGAINING    ANECDOTES.  281 

sent  him  some  as  a  present,  he  being  the  only  Pawnee 
who  ever  had  such  a  luxury  in  his  lodge);  and  having 
then  filled  a  pipe  of  Kinnekineck  and  presented  it  to  him, 
I  wailed  in  silence  till  he  should  think  fit  to  explain  the 
object  of  his  visii.  At  last  he  abrupi.ly  said,  "  A-ieos 
ka-hi-te-na  a-lusha  !" — *'  My  father,  you  want  a  liorse  ?" 
To  this  polite  address  from  a  man  forty  years  my  senior, 
I  answered  by  a  sign  of  assent:  but  added,  partly  in 
words  and  partly  in  signs,  that  I  had  not  articles  suffi- 
cient, eitlier  in  number  or  quality,  to  make  him  an  equi- 
valent pre^e/z^  for  a  horse,  'j'his  I  said,  because  I  knew 
that  the  old  rogue  had  more  blankets,  paints,  beads,  &c., 
already  than  ten  horses  could  carry.  However,  he  re- 
plied that,  if  I  would  give  him  the  "medicine-tube" 
hanging  round  my  neck,  he  would  give  me  a  horse  for  it. 

Tliis  was  my  favourite  pocket-telescope,  which  I  had 
used  in  deer-huntins;  in  Scotland  and  on  the  Alleohanies, 
and  with  which  I  was  unwiHing  to  part,  as  it  was  very 
useful  in  these  extensive  prairies  for  descrying  men  or 
bufTalo  at  a  distance,  But  poverty  and  necessity  are 
stern  advisers  :  besides  wfiich,  I  knew  that  it  was  against 
all  rules  among  In;Jians  to  refuse  an  article  which  they 
have  directly  asked  for;  so,  with  as  willing  and  good 
a  grace  as  I  could  assume,  I  undid  the  belt,  and  telling 
him  that  he  was  my  father  and  a  great  chief,  and  that  I 
felt  sure  he  would  give  me  a  horse  fit  to  overtake  men 
or  buffalo,  I  hung  the  -telescope  round  his  neck,  and 
endeavoured  to  teach  him  how  to  lengthen  and  shorten  it 
in  order  to  get  the  rii^ht  focus,  and  also  how  to  wipe  the 
glasses  when  they  might  get  dirty.  At  .the- same  time,  I 
told  him  not  to  open  it  much,  for  it  was  *'  not  good  so  to 
do." 

He  looked  for  some  time  at  the  telescope,  and  then  at 
a  pistol  which  was  stuck  in  my  belt,  and  seemed  to  hesi- 
tate which  he  liked  best.  He  said  that  they  were  both 
"good,"  and  that  he  would  give  me  a  horse  for  either  of 
them.  H  td  the  weapon  been  my  own,  and  had  I  been 
provided  witli  one  or  two  spare  pistols,  I  would  certainly 
have  preferred  givina  him  that  to  giving  him  my  tele- 
scope ;  but  it  belonfjed  to  an  officer  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
who  had  very  obligingly  lent  it  to  me  ;  and,  beside  it,  I 
Aa* 


282  BARGAINING    ANECDOTES. 

had  only  a  pair  of  little  pistols,  sometimes  called,  in  Lon- 
don  slang,  "  bull-dogs."  I  endeavoured  to  explain  to  hinfi 
that  it  belonged  to  anolher  while  chief,  and  thai  I  could 
not  give  it  away  ;  but  that  my  telescope  was  "  greater 
medicine"  (more  valuable),  and  thai  he  was  welcome 
to  it.  He  said,  "  It  is  good  ;"  and  rising  up,  he  left  Qie, 
with  as  cornplacent  and  satisfied  an  expression  on  his 
countenance  as  its  habitual  grim  cunning  would  admit. 

Soon  after  he  was  gone,  one  of  the  warriors  came  and 
told  me  he  would  give  me  a  horse,  if  I  would  give  him 
my  "  long  blanket."  This  was,  indeed,  a  severe  trial  of 
my  affection  for  my  highland  plaid,  for  the  price  offered 
was  certainly  (considering  my  present  necessities)  be- 
yond the  value  of  the  article  ;  but  then,  it  was  my  own 
family  tartan — had  been  my  companion  and  protector 
in  many  a  rough  day,  and  was  a  constant  and  consoling 
reminiscence  of  home,  so  I  determined  to  part  with  any- 
thing and  everything  rather  than  that.  I  told  him  it  was 
mv  "  medicine-blanket,"  and  I  could  not  give  it  away. 
He  left  me,  not  well  pleased  ;  and  as  he  walked  off,  my 
old  chief  shook  his  head,  and,  in  answer  to  my  inquir}^, 
said  briefly,  "  He  is  a  bad  man,  and  has  no  horse  :"  mean- 
ing in  other  words,  that  he  was  a  rogue,  who  would  have 
found  some  means  of  absconding  with  my  plaid,  and 
who  had  no  horse  to  give  me. 

Soon  after  this,  whde  I  was  still  sitting  near  my  packs 
of  goods,  like  an  Israelite  in  Monmouth-sireet,  an  elderly 
chief  approached,  and  signified  his  wish  to  trade.  Our 
squaws  placed  some  meat  before  him,  after  which  I 
gave  him  the  pipe  ;  and  in  the  meantime  had  desired  my 
servant  to  search  my  saddle-bags,  and  to  add  to  the  heap 
of  saleable  articles  everything  of  every  kind  beyond 
what  was  absolutely  necessary  for  mv  covering  on  my 
return.  A  spare  shirt,  handkerchief,  and  a  waistcoat,  were 
thus  drafted  ;  and,  among  other  things,  was  a  kind  of 
elastic  flannel  waistcoat,  made  for  wearing  next  to  the 
skin,  and  to  be  drawn  ov©r  the  head,  as  il  was  without 
buttons  or  any  opening  in  front.  It  was  too  small  for 
me,  and  altogether  so  tight  and  uncomfortable,  although 
elastic,  thai  I  had  determined  to  part  with  it. 

To  this  last  article   my  new  customer  look  a  great 


BARGAINING    ANECDOTES.  283 

fancy;  and    he  made  me  describe  lo  him   the  method  of 
putting  it  on,  and   the   warmth  and   comfort  of  it  when 
on.     Be  it  remetribered  that  he  was  a  very  large  corpu- 
lent man,  probably  weighing  sixteen  stone;  I  knew  him 
to  be  very  good-»iatured,  as  I  had  liunted  once  with  his 
son  ;  and,  on  returnmg  lo  his  lodge,  ihe  father  had  feasted 
me,  chatted  with   me  by  signs,  and  taught  me  some  of 
that  most  extraordinary  Indian  method  of  communica- 
tion.    He  said  he  should  like  to  try  on  the  jacket  ;  and 
as  he  threw  the   buffalo  robe   off   his  huge  shoulders,  I 
could  scarcely  keep  my  gravity,  when  I  compared  their 
dimensions  with  liie  garment  into  which   we  were  about 
to  attempt  their  mlroduction.    However,  by  dint  of  great 
industry  and  care,  we  contrived  to  get   him  into  it.     In 
the  body  it  was  a  foot  too  short,  and  fitted  him  so  close 
that  every  ttiread  was   stretched  to  the   uttermost  ;  the 
sleeves   reached    a    very    little  way  below    his   elbow. 
However,  he  looked  upon  his  arms  and  person  with  great 
complacency,  and  elicited  many  smiles  from  the  squaws 
at  tfie  drollery  of  his  attire;  but,   as  the  weather   was 
very  hot,  he  soon  benan   to  find  himself  too  warm   and 
confined,  and  he  wished  to  lake  it  off  again.     He  moved 
his  arms — he  pulled  the  sleeves — he  twisted  and  turned 
himself  in  every  direction,  but  in  vain.     The  woollen 
jacket  was  an   admirable   illustration  of  the  Inferno  of 
Dante  and  Virgil,  and   of  matrimony,  as  described  by 
many  poets — it  was  easy  enough  to  get  into  it,  sed  revp- 
care  gradum  was  a  difficult   matter  indeed.     The  old 
man  exerted   himself  till  the  drops   of  perspiration    fell 
from  his  forehead  ;  but   had  I  not  been  there   he  must 
either  have  made  some  person  cut  it   up,  or  have  sat  in 
it  until  this  minute. 

For  some  time  I  enjoyed  this  scene  with  malicious 
and  demure  gravity,  and  then  I  showed  him  that  he 
must  try  and  pull  it  off  over  his  head.  A  lad  who  stood 
by  then  drew  it  till  it  enveloped  his  nose,  eyes,  mouth, 
and  ears  ;  his  arms  were  raised  above  his  head,  and  for 
some  minutes  he  remained  in  that  melancholy  plight, 
blinded,  choked,  and  smothered,  with  his  hands  rendered 
useless  for  the  time.  He  rolled  about,  sneezing,  sputter- 
ing, and  struggling,  until  all  around  were  convulsed  with 


284  HIRING    A    GUIDE. 

laughter;  and  our  squaws  shrieked  in  iheir  ungoverna- 
ble mirih  in  a  manner  that  I  had  never  before  witnessed. 
At  length  I  slii  a  piece  of  the  edge,  and  released  the  old 
fellow  from  his  straight-waistcoat  confinement ;  he  turn- 
ed it  round  often  in  his  hands,  and  made  a  kind  of  comic- 
grave  address  to  it,  of  which  I  could  only  gather  a  few 
words.  I  believe  the  import  of  them  was,  that  it  would 
be  a  "good  creature  in  the  ice-monih  at  the  village."  I 
was  so  pleased  with  his  good  humour,  that  I  gave  it  to 
him,  and  told  him  to  vi^arm  his  squaw  in  the  ice-month. 

We  afterwards  continued  our  bargain,  and  I  bought  a 
horse  of  him  at  a  tolerably  fair  price  ;  but  I  was  obliged 
to  sell  even  my  own  blankets,  which  I  wished  to  sleep 
in  on  my  return,  and  had  but  a  very  small  stock  of  pow- 
der, knives,  or  trinkets  remaining. 

I  now  proceeded  to  hire  a  guide  ;  and  as  our  old  chief 
gave  me  to  understand  that  his  younger  l)rother  (the  same 
man  who  had  acted  as  guide  on  our  coming  out)  would 
conduct  me  to  the  fori,  I  sent  for  the  interpreter,  and, 
accompanied  by  him,  went  to  this  man's  lodge.  I  found 
that  he  was  very  poor,  having  but  one  wife  and  only  two 
or  three  horses  ;  and  though  I  do  not  believe  that  he  much 
relished  the  office,  I  made  an  agreement  with  liim,  ac- 
cording to  which,  on  arriving  at  tlie  fort,  I  was  to  give 
him  a  horse  and  many  blankets, — in  short  a  full  comple- 
ment of  all  the  articles  necessary  to  an  Indian's  comfort. 
He  was  to  lake  another  young  man  with  him,  wlio  was 
to  assist  us  to  hunt,  to  catch  and  pack  our  horses,  and 
perform  the  other  services  requisite  on  a  march. 

Afier  waiting  half  the  day,  and  hearing  nothing  from 
the  crreai  chief  about  a  horse,  I  sent  ihe  Canadian  to  his 
lodge  to  ask  for  it;  when  he  returned  for  answer,  that 
he  must  have  both  the  telescope  and  pistol  before  he 
would  let  me  have  a  horse;  I  was  highly  incensed  at  the 
impudent  knavery  of  this  chief;  but  I  thought  it  impru- 
dent to  quarrel  with  him,  as  we  were  so  far  removed  from 
the  protection  of  any  white  men,  and  were  in  the  great- 
est want  of  horses,  which  were  necessary  to  our  con- 
venience, and  might  be  so  to  our  lives,  in  our  passage 
across  an  immense  wilderness,  where  we  were  not  un- 
likely  lo  fall    in  with  a   war-party  of  Sioux,  Shiennes, 


HUNTING    PARTY.  285 

Aricaras,  or  other  wild  tribes  hostile  to  the  Pawnee 
escort.  Accordingly,  I  dissembled  my  anger,  and  sent 
him  word  that  when  his  young  man  brought  the  liorse  I 
would  give  him  the  pistol  also. 

About  this  time  I  observed  a  great  stir  in  the  camp, 
and  our  old  chief  was  summoned  suddenly  to  a  secret 
council ;  wdiat  passed  there  I  know  not,  but  there  was  a 
hurried  and  violent  debate  ;  the  decision,  however,  to 
which  they  came  was,  as  I.  afterwards  learned,  pacific. 
Very  soon  the  cause  of  this  excitement  became  generally 
known,  and  the  laconic  communication  "  men  are  seen," 
passed  from  mouth  to  mouth.  These  few  words  have  a 
stirring  and  interesting  effect  in  those  remote  and  barren 
regions  ;  and  the  conjectures  rapidly  succeed  each  other, 
"  Who,  and  what  are  the  comers  ?  are  they  friends  or 
enemies  ?  white  or  red  men  ?"  On  this  occasion  the 
doubt  was  soon  solved,  for  the  strangers,  who  now  ap- 
proached over  the  prairie,  and  who  had  long  ago  been 
discovered  and  announced  by  the  Pawnee  scouts,  came 
straight  to  the  lodge  of  the  great  chief,  and  the  signs  of 
peace  having  been  before  exchanged  and  confirmed,  they 
sat  down  in  silence  and  awaited  the  meat  and  the  pipe 
about  to  be  offered  to  them.  They  proved  to  be  a  hunt- 
ing party  of  Delavi^ares  and  Shawnees,  on  their  way  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  they  were  all  armed  with  knives 
and  guns,  and  their  dresses  were  as  fantastic  as  is  usual 
among  ihe  half-civilized  tribes. 

All  of  ihem  wore  leggins  and  moccasins  ;  but  in  the 
clothing  of  the  upper  part  of  the  person,  each  seemed 
to  have  followed  his  own  wayward  humour;  one  wore  a 
hat,  another  a  fur  cap,  a  third  a  handkerchief  wound 
like  a  turban;  and  a  deer-skin  hunting-shirt  seemed  to 
be  the  favouriie  covering  for  their  bodies;  one  or  two  of 
them  could  speak  a  few  words  of  English,  and  seemed 
to  be  known  to  lotan,  the  Oioe  chief;  and,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  signs,  I  could  make  out  that  they  had  come 
straight  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  (which  is  as  I  be- 
fore noticed,)  only  thirty  miles  from  their  villages. 
They  had  seen  many  herds  of  buffalo,  but  had  hunted 
only  enough  to  supply  themselves  with  food,  as  they 
were  in  haste  to  get  to  the  mountains.     I  asked  them  if 


286  CONVERSATION. 

there  were  any  late  Indian  trails,  they  said  a  few  ;  but 
the  Dah-colah  (nnaking  the  significant  Sioux  sign*)  were 
going  north,  I  was  not  sorry  to  hear  this  inlelhgence, 
for  a  war-party  of  Sioux  was  by  no  rrieans  desirable  to 
meet,  while  I  was  accompanied  by  a  feeble  Pawnee 
escort.  I  asked  how  many  days  it  had  taken  ihem  to 
ride  from  the  fort ;  they  said  ''  twenty-five."  Having 
my  compass  in  my  pocket,  and  being  anxious  to  see  how 
far  my  idea  of  the  direction  of  tlie  fort  was  correct,  I 
asked  a  young  Delaware  to  point  his  finger  to  it ;  he  did 
so,  and  I  found  he  agreed  exactly  with  tlie  other  Indians 
whom  I  had  consulted,  and  I  took  my  bearings  accord- 

The  dislike  of  the  Pawnees  for  their  new  guests  was 
but  ill-concealed,  and  that  of  the  great  chief  was  so 
bitler  and  so  evident,  that  I  could  not  help  thinking  it 
might  break  out  into  action.  The  Pawnees  consider 
these  corn-growing  settled  tribes  as  half-white  men,  and 
deny  their  right  to  [)unl  in  the  buffalo  plains  and  moun- 
tains ;  and  the  party  now  present  had  passed  through 
the  very  range  which  the  Pawnees  were  about  to  travel, 
and  had  probably  driven  off  many  of  the  buffalo.  I  am 
confident  that  they  had  saved  their  lives  by  their  bold- 
ness, in  coming  straight  to  the  camp  by  day  with  signs  of 
peace.  They  wished  to  pass  the  Pawnees  without  being 
discovered  by  them  ;  but  finding  that  they  had  been  ob- 
served by  the  distant  scouts,  they  at  once  adopted  the 
safest,  though  apparently  therashest,  course,  by  present- 
ing themselves  peacefully  and  fearlessly  to  the  whole 
nation  :  had  they  avoided  the  camp,  and  pursued  their 
course,  a  Pawnee  war-party  would  have  probably  gone 
out  to  cut  them  off. 

The  Delawares,  degraded  in  spirit  and  diminished  in 
numbers  as  they  are,  have  yet  some  lingering  pride,  some 
remains  of  that  haughty  assumption  which  led  their  an- 
cestors to  call  themselves  the  ''  Lenni  Lenupe"\  and  to 
consider  all  other  Indians  as  mere  grafts  from  their  pa- 
rent stock.     One  of  those  now  present  was  a  very  good- 

*  Drawing  the  hand  across  the  throat  as  if  to  cut  it. 
t  Anglice,  «<  Fathers  of  men." 


PRIDE    OF    THE    DELAWARES.  287 

looking  young  man,  and  a  son  of  a  celebrated  Delaware 
warrior,  who  inflicted,  about  ten  years  ago,  a  terrible  dis- 
grace upon  the  Pawnees.  He  was  renirning  with  his 
packs  of  skins  from  the  Rocky  Mounlains,  with  only 
six  or  eight  in  his  company,  when  they  fell  in  with  a 
Pawnee  war-party,  consisting  of  sixty  or  seventy.  As 
the  latter  advanced  to  the  charge,  the  Delawares  hastily 
piled  their  packs  before  them,  and  being  armed  with 
guns,  presented  them,  and  awaited  ihe  attack  of  their 
enemies,  who  were  armed  only  with  their  bows  and  ar- 
rows and  war-clubs  ;  the  latter  did  not  relish  too  near  an 
approach  to  the  shining  barrels,  and  kept  riding  round 
and  round  at  speed,  discharging  their  arrows  and  shout- 
ing and  yelling.  But  the  fate  of  one  or  two  who  ap- 
proached within  reach  of  a  Delaware  bullet,  kept  the 
rest  at  a  respectful  distance.  After  skirmishing  till  dusk, 
they  withdiew  for  a  time,  determined  to  fall  upon  them 
during  their  march  ;  but  so  admirably  did  the  Delaware 
make  his  dispositions,  that  after  killing  several  Pawnees, 
he  brought  his  little  band  mto  the  settlements  without  the 
loss  of  a  man. 

1  amused  myself  for  two  or  three  hours  with  making 
glossaries  of  the  Delaware  and  Shawnee  languages, 
(which  1  afterwards  compared  wiih  information  of  others 
of  the  satne  tribes  ;)  the  former  of  them  is  very  soft  and 
musical,  the  laiter  harsh  and  guttural.  After  trading  in 
some  few  articles  with  the  Pawnees,  they  left  us,  and 
pursued  their  course  toward  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


288  INTERVIEW    WITH 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Interview  with  the  Great  Chief. — Telescope  regained. — Stock  of  Pro* 
visions  for  the  Journey. — Indian  Knavery. — Disinterested  Genero- 
sity.—  Exchange  of  Horses  — Message  from  the  Great  Chief. — A 
"  Talk.'" — Invitation  to  the  Great  Chief — Presents  made  to  him. — 
Want  of  Cleanliness  among  the  Pawnees  — Splendid  Daybreak. — 
Valedictory  Speeches. — A  vicious  Horse. — Journey  homeward  com- 
menced.— Herd  of  Buffalo.— Successful  Shot. — Evening  Camp. — 
Musquitoes. — Serious  Accident. — Defection  of  our  Guide. — Return 
to  the  Pawnees. — Repulsive  Scene. — Indian  Mourning. — Reception 
at  the  Lodge  of  Sa-nl-tsa-rish. 

The  evening  of  the  6th  passed  away,  and  I  heard  no 
tidings  of  my  horse  from  the  great  chief;  accordingly, 
early  on  the  following  morning  (7lh),  1  despatched  a 
young  man  from  our  lodge  to  inquire  whether  he  meant 
to  send  me  one;  and,  if  lie  disliked  the  bargain,  desired 
that  he  would  send  back  the  telescope.  The  lad  return- 
ed, shook  his  head,  and  made  a  sign  that  the  great  chief 
said  nothing. 

Being  very  indignant  at  this  insolent  knavery,  I  went 
strait  to  his  lodge,  and,  on  the  way,  cooled  down  my 
temper  as  well  as  I  was  able,  being  aware  that  a  little 
imprudence  might  cost  the  lives  of  myself  and  all  my 
party  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  that  if  I  aHovved  myself  to 
be  thus  cheated  and  imposed  upon,  I  should  be  stripped 
of  everytliing  before  T  left  the  camp.  J  found  the  chief 
sitting  in  ihe  customary  manner,  near  the  centre  of  his 
lodge,  sharpening  his  arrows.  Three  or  four  of  his 
young  men  were  idling  about,  and  two  of  his  squaws, 
assisted  by  a  captive  slave.,*  were  cutting  up  and  spread- 
ing their  buffalo  meat  to  dry.  He  received  me  as  I  ex- 
pected, wiih  extreme  coldness,  which  I  pretended  not 
to  regard,  but  sat  quietly  down  in  the  place  to  which  he 
silently  motioned  me  with  his  hand. 

*  A  captive  taken  in  some  war-party  ;  hut  I  could  not  learn  to  what 
tribe  she  belonged. 


THE    GREAT    CHIEF.  289 

Perceiving,  after  a  few  minutes,  that  he  would  not 
break  the  silence,  I  told  him,  that  I  had  come  to  ask  for 
the  horse  which  he  had  promised  for  the  telescope.  He 
gave  me  no  answer.  I  then  proceeded  to  say,  that  ^'  he 
was  a  great  chief,  and  had  a  single  tongue,  and  that  I 
knew  he  would  not  lie  to  his  white  brother."  Still  the 
same  sulky  look,  and  no  answer:  in  the  meantime,  I 
cast  my  eyes  carefully  round  the  interior  of  his  lodge, 
and,  at  length,  espied  my  telescope,  hanging  at  the  back 
of  it,  near  his  medicine-bag,  &c.  Having  ascertained 
its  locality,  I  said,  I  wished  to  return  to  the  white  man's 
fort,  and  asked  him  distinctly,  whether  he  would  give  me 
the  horse  or  not?  This  lime  he  answered  briefly  and 
distinctly  enough,  ka-ki,  "  no".  I  then  rose,  and,  going 
straight  to  my  telescope,  took  it  quietly  down,  and,  hang- 
ing it  round  my  own  neck,  told  him  it  was  all  right,  or 
very  good,  and  walked  deliberately  away.  I  confess  I  felt 
rather  uneasy  at  this  juncture.  The  chief  neither  mov- 
ed nor  spoke,  and  yet  the  muscles  of  his  face  were  work- 
ing with  ill-concealed  passion;  and  I  thought  it  just  pos- 
sible that  he  would  not  be  able  to  restrain  his  hand  from 
seizing  bow  or  tomahawk.  However,  I  reached  Sa-ni- 
tsa-rish's  lodge  without  interruption,  and  the  old  man 
asked  me  if  I  had  got  the  horse.  I  told  him  I  had  not ; 
but  I  showed  him  the  telescope.  He  evinced  momen- 
tary surprise,  and  asked  me  if  the  chief  had  given  it  me. 
I  answered  him  by  a  sign,  showing  how  I  had  taken  it. 
He  shook  his  head,  and  remained  silent. 

I  now  began  to  lay  in  my  stock  of  provisions  for  the 
journey,  and,  in  exchange  for  a  few  beads,  knives,  and 
looking-glasses,  obtained  from  the  squaws  two  packs  of 
well-dried  meat,  weighing  about  twenty-five  pounds 
each,  and  a  bag  of  Indian  corn.  I  had  also  a  few  dried 
beans,  which  I  had  brought  from  the  fort. 

Having  communicated  to   my  companion  V my 

failure  in  obtaining  the  horse  from  the  great  chief,  and 
finding  that  he  had  as  little  prospect  of  getting  one  from 
liis  ill-tempered  and  avaricious  host,  Pa^-tae-lae-chaVo 
(although  he  had  twenty   or  twenty-five),*  we  determin- 

*"  The  name  of  this  chief  is  classic  throughout  the  whole  western  world, 

Vol.  I.— Bb 


290  GENEROSITY. 

ed  upon  putting  together  all  our  remaining  stock  of 
spare  powder,  lead,  and  baubles,  in  order  to  puichase 
one  more  pack-horse,  or  mule.  We  did  so,  and  spread 
the  heap  before  my  old  chief's  lodge.  He  looked  at  it, 
shooiv  his  head,  and  said,  that  "  no  one  would  give  us  a 
horse  for  it,  for  there  was  no  cloth,"  He  then  desired 
his  oldest  w^fe  to  bring  out  from  one  of  his  bales  a  large 
piece  of  scarlet  cloth,  and  to  add  it  to  my  heap  ;  and  he 
said  "  Now  call  the  men  ;  you  will  get  a  horse." 

An  Indian  soon  arrived,  leading  a  sorry-looking  ani- 
mal, but  tolerably  sound  and  strong.  After  examining 
the  articles,  he  said  they  were  good,  and  made  the 
sign  that  he  would  trade.  I  directed  my  servant  to  roll 
them  up  for  him,  and  a  young  man  to  tie  the  horse,  when 
the  Indian  spirit  of  knavery  again  broke  forth,  and  the 
fellow  said,  that  there  was  not  enough  ;  he  must  have 
another  knife.  I  had  already  given  all  that  I  could  afford, 
as  we  had  retained  only  one  a-piece  for  the  journey  ;  and 
I  sat  a  momxcnt  in  silent  vexation  :  for  I  knew  that  to 
dispute  was  useless,  even  if  I  could  have  commanded 
v/ords  ;  and  to  give,  I  had  nothing.  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  here 
slowly  arose,  and,  taking  from  his  belt  his  own  large  or- 
namiCnted  knife,  threw  it  upon  the  heap  of  goods,  and, 
with  a  haughty  and  indignant  air,  said,  "  Take  it  and 
go  /"  then  quietly  resumed  his  seat. 

as  being  the  nrst  who  dared  to  set  at  defiance  the  prejudices  of_his  na- 
tion, and,  when  only  twent)'  years  of  age,  to  rescue  a  female  ca|)tive  from 
the  cruel  death  to  which  she  was  destined.  The  stor}^  is  familiar  to  all 
who  have  paid  any  attention  to  the  recent  history  of  the  Indian  tribes  ; 
but  it  is  so  admirably  related  by  Major  Long,  that  I  shall  make  no  apology 
for  extracting  it  at  length.  (See  Appendix.)  I  never  saw  Major  Long's 
work  until  some  time  after  my  return  from  the  Pav^mees,  and  I  feel  very 
uncertain  whether  the  Pae-tae-lae-cha'ro  described  by  him  is,  or  is  not, 

the  chief  of  the  same  name  in  whose  lodge  my  companion  V resided. 

The  latter  appeared  to  me  about  thirty-eight  years  of  age  ;  and,  as  Major 
Long  sav/  the  young  chief  in  1819,  and  supposed  him  then  to  be  about 
twenty-three,  my  calculation  would  be  near  the  truth.  Li  figure,  strenglh, 
and  influence,  he  would  fully  answer  the  Major's  description  ;  while  the 
sixteen  years  that  had  passed  over  his  head  might  easily  have  changed 
the  daring  high-spirited  youth  to  the  crafty  ambitious  chief.  At  the  same 
time,  there  is  so  much  uncertainty  about  Indian  names,  that  I  must  con- 
fess my  inability  to  decide  this  question,  especially  as  I  Vv'as  given  to  un- 
derstand by  Sa-ni-tsft-rish,  that  several  chiefs  had  borne  the  name  of  Pae- 
tac-Iae-cha'r6.  I  have  described  merely  what  I  saw,  and  must  leave  tha 
evolution  of  this  mystery  to  the  Pawnee  heralds  and  biographers, 


EXCHANGE  OF  HORSES.  291 

During  all  my  residence  with  the  Indians,  I  had  not 
witues'sed  an  action  so  disinterested  and  generous  per- 
formed with  such  majestic  grace  and  dignity.  While  the 
abashed  dealer  sneaked  otf  with  his  bundle,  I  took  the 
old  chief  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  My  father,  you  are  a 
good  man  ;"  and,  clenching  my  hand,  pressed  it  against 
ray  breast,  in  token  of  my  affection.  He  remained  silent, 
and  his  features  now  resumed  their  usual  quiet  and  grave 
character.  Meantime,  I  formed  a  resolution  that,  if  I 
again  reached  the  fort,  I  would  send  him  such  a  present, 
that  he  should  never  repent  the  day  when  he  had  been 
so  friendly  and  generous  to  his  white  guest. 

I  was  now  provided  with  horses  and  provisions  suiS- 
cient  to  give  us  a  reasonable  chance  of  reaching  the  fort 
without  privation  or  difficulty.  The  only  thing  that  an- 
noyed me  was,  that  my  conjpanion,  V ,  had,  without 

(or  rather,  contrary  to)  my  advice,  exchanged  a  quiet  and 
safe  gray  pony,  which  1  had  bought  for  him  in  Missouri, 
for  a  wild  animal,  belonging  to  an  Indian.  The  former  , 
had  travelled  many  hundred  miles  without  a  fault  or  false 
step  ;  but  he  fancied  it  was  not  strong  enough,  and 
changed  it  for  a  Pawnee  animal,  which  I  remembered 
to  have  noticed  on  some  of  our  marches,  as  it  was  of  a 
remarkable  colour,  and  was  always  rearing,  kicking,  and 
breaking  loose.  As  V was  not  a  very  good  horse- 
man, 1  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from  this  bargain  ; 
but  he  determined  to  adhere  to  it. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  I  received  a  message  from  the 
great  chief,  desiring  that  I  would  come  to  his  lodge  to 
have  a  talk.  As  I  did  not  know  what  explanations  might 
be  requisite,  I  sent  for  the  Canadian,  and  requested  him 
to  accompany  me.  On  arriving,  I  found  that  the  chiefs 
of  the  Tapage  and  Republican  bands  had  also  been  sum- 
moned. Several  of  the  braves  were  present,  and  the 
countenance  of  the  great  chief  had  gained  nothing  in 
good-humour  since  the  morning. 

As  soon  as  the  pipe  had  been  circulated,  he  made  a 
speech  of  some  length,  the  purport  of  which  was,  that 
I  proposed  to  "  go  back  to  white  men  through  the  prai- 
rie, but  that  I  ought  to  go  with  them  to  their  winter  vil- 
lage, and  return  thence  by  the  great  trail."     I  told  him 


292 

that  "  we  must  return  straight ;  that  our  fathers  and  bro- 
thers were  far  ;  that  they  looked  for  us  ;  and  that  if  we 
stayed,  our  corn  would  be  spoiled." 

The  Republican  chief  made  a  speech,  and  said,  that 
"  it  was  bad  for  me  to  go  with  so  few  young  men  ;  that 
there  were  bad  men,  and  no  friends,  hunting  in  the  prai- 
ries ;"  and  concluded  by  saying,  that  I  had  belter  go  with 
the  Pawnees  to  their  winter  village.  I  answered  him, 
through  the  interpreter,  that  "  I  knew  he  had  a  single 
tongue,  and  spoke  truth ;  that  my  ears  were  open  ;  but 
that  I  could  go  through  the  prairie  without  fear  with  ray 
young  men  :  that  my  rifle  (on  which  T  was  leaning)  would 
kill  bad  men  far  off;  and  that,  if  they  killed  me,  my 
grandfather  (the  President)  would  punish  them." 

The  Tapage  sat  silent,  but  the  great  chief  rose  again, 
and  exclaimed  (at  least  so  it  was  translated  to  me  by  the 
Canadian,  for  he  spoke  in  so  excited  and  hurried  atone 
that  I  could  catch  few,  if  any,  of  the  words) :  "  My  fa- 
ther, y.ou  have  not  ears  :  if  you  go  in  that  direction" 
(pointing  east  by  north)  "  you  will  drive  the  cows  from 
our  path  ;  you  will  spoil  our  winter  food.  It  is  not  good  ; 
you  must  stay,  and  not  go.  I  have  said."  By  my  de- 
sire, the  Canadian  answered  the  great  chief : — "  You  and 
your  brothers  have  been  good  to  me.  We  have  eaten, 
slept,  hunted,,  and  smoked  the  pipe  together.  My  ears  are 
open.  I  will  not  drive  one  cow  from  your  path.  Point 
with  your  finger  to  the  Pawnee  path,  and  I  will  go  home 
a  day's  journey  to  the  right  or  the  left  of  it.  But  I  will 
not  stay.  You  are  a  great  chief,  and  go  where  you  please, 
I  am  also  a  while  chief;  I  am  not  a  squaw  nor  a  captive. 
I  go  to-morrow  straight  back  to  our  grandfather ;  and  I 
wish  to  tell  him,  and  your  father  (Major  Dogherty),  how 
good  to  me  his  Pawnee  children  are.     I  have  spoken." 

The  chiefs  looked  at  each  other  for  a  moment  in  si- 
lence ;  and  I  thought  that  more  angry  discussion  should 
be  avoided  ;  so  I  arose  and  walked  slowly  back  to  my 
lodge.  I  tried  to  explain  to  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  Vv'hat  had  pass- 
ed.    He   shook  his  head,  and  made  no  remarks.     It  is, 

remarkable,  that  neither  V nor  our  white  attendants 

were  summoned  to  this  "talk,"  nor  to  the  "great  medi^ 
cine"  feast  already  described. 


PRESENTS  TO  THE  GREAT  CHIEF.         293 

In  two  hours  I  wished  to  avoid  the  inconTcnience  and 
risk  of  parting  from  the  great  chief  in  open  hostility,  so 
I  sent  to  invite  him  to  a  feast.  To  my  surprise  he  came  ; 
and,  after  the  meat  and  pipe,  I  made  him  a  present  of 
some  wampum,  and  a  gay-looking  cotton  handkerchief; 
besides  which,  I  gave  him  eight  new  spare  horse-shoes, 
which  I  had  brought  with  me  in  case  of  accidents.  They 
were  useless,  and  very  troublesome  to  carry  :  had  they 
been  good  for  anything,  I  would  have  given  them  to  my 
old  host;  but  to  the  chief  I  only  gave  them  to  get  rid  of 
them.  I  thought  that  the  cunning  savage  appreciated 
more  correctly  than  I  could  wish  the  value  of  this  pre- 
sent ;  but  he  received  it  with  becoming  gravity.  Soon 
afterward  he  asked  me  for  some  coffee  and  sugar.  I 
had  a  very  small  quantity  of  these  in  my  bag,  and  I  did 
not  know  to  what  straits  I  might  be  reduced,  and  I  de- 
clined to  give  him  any,  saying,  in  the  usual  Indian  wa}^, 
^'  I  have  got  none  !"  He  soon  rose  and  went  away  ;  and 
our  parting  was  not  affectionate  on  either  side.  I  was 
glad  that  he  had  feasted  with  me,  and  taken  my  presents 
after  our  talk;  because  he  could  not,  according  to  their 
customs,  after  so  doing,  order  me  to  be  interrupted  or 
waylaid  in  my  route. 

On  the  niglit  of  the  7th  I  scarcely  slept  at  all,  so  ex- 
cited was  I  at  the  prospect  of  our  prairie  journey,  and,  I 
may  add,  so  delighted  at  exchanging,  even  for  greater 
hardships,  the  confinement,  the  vermin,  and  the  dirt  of 
the  Pawnee  lodges. 

It  is  not  a  pleasant  thing  to  comment  upon  nastiness 
of  any  kind  ;  but  a  few  trifles,  of  daily  occurrence,  may 
be  necessary  to  rescue  my  companion  and  myself  from 
the  charge  of  caprice.  Imprimis  :  every  article  within 
the  lodge,  including  my  own  skins,  jacket,  and  shirt,  was 
covered  with  vermin.  These  insects  are,  as  is  well 
known,  of  two  species  ;  the  one  frequenting  the  hair,  the 
ether  the  body.  The  former  of  these  are  considered  by 
the  Pawnee  naturalists  "Pediculus  esculentus ;"  for 
whenever  the  squaws  are  unemployed  in  severer  labour, 
they  enjoy  a  feast  of  this  kind,  gathered  either  from  the 
hair  of  their  children  or  of  each  other.  For  many  suc- 
cessive weeks  I  have  observed  them  pass  from  half  an 

Bb* 


294  WANT  OF  CLEANLINESf. 

hour  to  an  hour  of  every  day  in  this  manner,  and  uiey 
really  seem  to  eat  this  filthy  vermin  with  no  small  satis- 
faction ;  but  I  have  been  told  by  traders,  that  they  will 
not  eat  them  from  the  heads  of  the  whites  ! 

Another  circumslance  that  used  to  annoy  me  very  muchy 
■was,  that  the  water,  wdiich  was  frequently  bad  enough  as 
brought  by  the  squaws  from  the  stream  or  pond,  wa& 
placed  generally  near  the  opening  of  the  lodge,  where  it 
was  a  perpetual  plaything  for  all  the  children  ;  one  would 
dabble  his  hands  in  it,  another  dip  his  or  her  dirty  face 
into  the  vessel  to  drink,  wdiile  the  hair  was  floating  over 
its  surface ;  and  now  and  then  a  cur,  more  sly  or  bold 
than  the  rest,  would  sneak  round  and  get  a  drink,  until 
the  indignant  squaw,  who  had  carried  it  perhaps  two  or 
three  hundred  yards,  might  become  aware  of  his  lappings 
when  the  first  weapon  within  reach,  whether  bone,  stick, 
stone,  or  tomahawk,  w^as  launched  at  the  intruder's  heady 
with  a  shrieking  exclamation,  which  can  only  be  written 
as  follows,  it  being  remembered  in  pronunciation  that  the 
rr  must  be  burred  as  strongly  as  possible  :  "  t's — t'st — 
urr-r-r-r-r-r  a-sa-ki"  (which  last  is  the  Pawnee  word  for 
dog).  All  the  preceding  particulars  regarding  the  water 
are  well  enough,  until  it  is  mentioned  that  I  was  destined. 
tad/ ink  it.  Indeed,  I  may  say,  I  found  that  all  the  ac- 
cidental and  occasional  hardships  of  Indian  life  in  the 
country,  such  as  scarcity  of  food  or  water,  long  marches 
in  oppressive  heat,  sleeping  in  cold  or  wet  places — all 
these  [  found  more  tolerable  than  the  filth  that  was  hourly 
before  my  eyes,  and  in  which  I  was  obliged  to  live. 

The  only  persons  in  the  camp  whom  I  could  view 
with  any  feelings  of  regard  were  my  old  chief  and  his 
good-humoured,  though  unattractive  wives  and  daughters^ 
among  whom  I  distributed  before  I  left  them  all  the  tri- 
fles and  trinkets  which  my  horse-dealing  enabled  me  to 
spare.  As  a  good  omen  for  our  journey,  the  morn  of  the 
8lh  dawned  with  a  magnificence  more  glorious  than  ever 
I  had  seen  on  tlie  great- Atlantic  ;  the  undulating  outline 
of  the  eastern  hills  was  robed  in  a  gorgeous  mass  of 
saffron,  surmounted  by  a  wide  extent  of  amber,  resem- 
bling the  tints  sometimes  seen  on  the  cheek  of  a  peach ; 
^\y1  above  that  again  night  w^as  slowdy  receding  behind  a 


VALEDICTORY    SPEECHES.  295 

curtain  of  the  softest  rosy  hue,  from  the  centre  of  v.hich 
the  lingering  planet  of  morning  iocked  out  like  an  eye. 

Soon  after  daybreak  we  had  packed  our  skins  and  pro- 
visions on  two  horses.  One  was  led  by  the  guide  ;  and 
all  was  ready  for  our  departure.  Our  old  chief  m.ade 
me  a  speech,  in  which  he  seemed  much  affected.  He 
said  :  "  My  father,  you  have  been  too  short  lime  with 
us  ;  but  your  squaws  and  your  white  brothers  want  you. 
Go,  my  father.  Your  tongue  is  single;  your  ears  are 
open.  Yon  are  a  chief;  gu,  and  tell  our  grandfather  that 
Sa-ni-tsa-rish  is  a  brother  to  his  children." 

To  this  speech  I  made  a  suitable  reply,  through  the 
Canadian,  telling  him  that  "  he  was  indeed  a  good  man, 
and  that  when  I  reached  the  white  man's  dwelling,!  would 
speak  truth  of  him  to  his  father  and  his  grandfather  ;  and 
when  his  young  men  relumed,  their  hands  should  not  bs 
empty,  but  all  the  Pawnees  should  know  that  the  white 
chief  loved  Sa-ni-tsa-rish."*  T  then  embraced  him,  shook 
hands  with  ihe  squaws,  as  well  as  with  his  children,  to 
whom  I  had  given  presents  according  to  their  ages,  and 
prepared  to  mount,  as  the  attendants  were  already  on 
horseback. 

A  scene  now  commenced,  the  termination  of  which 

was  serious  and  unpleasant.     My  companion  V 's 

Pawnee  horse  was  brought  up  to  him  by  an  Indian, 
leading  it  with  a  strong  laryette  ;  but,  as  soon  as  he  ap- 
proached, the  animal  snorted,  reared,  kicked,  and  show^ed 
every  sign  of  spite  and  anger.  If  he  came  near  it  in 
front,  it  would  run  at  him  with  its  teeth,  and  if  behind, 
lashed  the  air  with  a  pair  of  very  active  heels.  Not  be- 
ing a  practised  horseman,  V could  not  creep  behind 

the  animal  and  spring  on  it,  or  perform  any  similar 
equestrian  manceuvre  ;  and  T,  having  already  mounted 
my  roan,  could  see  that  the  Indians  weie  beginning  to 
make  signs  to  each  other,  and  to  laugh  at  our  predica- 
ment. 

Knowing  how  dangerous  it  is  among  this  people  to 
allow  yourself  to  be  a  subject  of  ridicule,  I  told  V 

*  I  need  scarcely  inform  the  reader,  that  I  fulfilled  this  promise  as. 
soon  as  I  reached  the  settlements.  I  sent  the  old  chief,  through  the 
Indian  agent,  a  supply  of  knives,  tobaceo,  cloth,  beads,  and  blankets. 


296  JOURNEY  HOMEWARD. 

.to  ride  my  horse,  and  I  would  see  what  I  could  make  of 
his  wild  beast.  Accordingly,  I  took  my  cudgel  in  my 
hand  and  walked  toward  him  in  front,  telling  the  Indian 
by  signs  to  hold  on  to  the  laryette.     As  I  approached, 

he  snuffed   and   snorted  as  he  had  done  to  V ;  and 

when  he  thought  I  was  near  enough,  jumped  forward  to 
seize  me  with  his  teeth ;  but  I  saluted  him  with  a  heavy 
blow  on  the  head  with  my  cudgel,  and  finding  that  it 
checked  him,  I  repeated  the  application.  He  appeared 
stunned  and  stupified  for  a  moment,  so  I  jumped  on  him, 
and,  telling  the  Indian  to  let  go,  gave  the  word  to  march. 
For  the  first  few  minutes  I  continued  to  belabour  my 
unruly  steed  with  the  cudgel,  accompanying  every  blow 
with  a  loud  rough  ejaculation,  in  order  that  he  might 
learn  to  know  my  voice.  Before  I  had  long  treated  his 
ribs  to  the  same  wholesome  discipline  which  his  head 
had  undergone,  he  appeared  to  be  quite  humbled  and 
docile,  so  I  rode  quietly  on  with  the  party  ;  and  when- 
ever he  showed  symptoms  of  resuming  his  pranks,  I  only 
had  to  call  to  him  in  the  same  tone  as  before,  and  he 
returned  to  a  sense  of  duty. 

With  what  light  hearts  did  we  now  take  our  way  across 
the  prairie  with  our  faces  to  the  east,  considering  as  our 
resting-place  and  home  that  Fort  Leavenworth  which, 
six  months  before,  I  should  have  deemed,  and  which 
many  now  deem,  the  '^ultima  Thule"  of  the  inhabitable 
world  !  Thus  are  all  the  objects  in  life  coloured  by  the  cir- 
cumstances which  form  the  medium  through  which  they 
are  viewed  ;  and  thus,  in  an  analogous  instance,  the  dry 
brown  loaf  and  pitcher  of  buttermilk,  which  the  poorest 
British  labourer  dines  upon  at  mid-day  under  a  hedge,  or 
the  rations  of  any  culprit  in  jail,  would  often  (during  the 
last  few  weeks)  have  been  to  us  a  most  delicious  ban- 
quet. 

Inspired  by  these  thoughts,  I  marched  by  the  side  of 
our  guidt^  and  endeavoured  to  improve  my  scanty  stock 
of  the  Pawnee  language.  I  observed  that  he  took  a 
course  nearly  parallel,  but  bearing  rather  northward,  of 
that  of  the  "  village,"  and  he  gave  me  to  understand  that 
he  did  so  by  the  orders  of  the  great  chief.  I  made  no 
objection,  knowing  that  a  score  of  miles,  more  or  less,  in 


HERD  OF  BUFFALOES.  297 

such  a  journey  as  we  had  before  us,  could  be  of  little 
importance. 

After  travelling  between  twenty  and  thirty  miles  (east 
north-east,  by  compass),  we  halted  for  an  hour  or  two, 
to  bait  our  horses,  on  the  brink  of  a  small  stream,  which 
flowed  gently  down  a  sheltered  ravine,  opened  our  pro- 
vision packs,  and  were  proceeding  to  eat  our  mid-day 
meal,  when  we  saw  a  small  herd  of  buffalo  gallopping  furi- 
ously along,  at  a  distance,  having  been  evidently  startled 
by  some  outskirtersamongthe  Pawnee  hunters,  who  were 
some  miles  to  the  south  of  us.  Observing  them  closely, 
we  soon  became  aware  that  they  did  not  see  us  ;  and  I 
determined  to  try  and  give  our  two  Indians  a  high  idea 
of  my  skill  in  woodcraft, — so  I  caught  up  my  rifle,  made 
signs  to  all  tlie  party  to  remain  perfectly  still,  and  crept 
rapidly  along  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  to  meet  them  at 
the  point  where  I  thought  tliey  would  cross  it. 

I  was  on  foot,  and  of  course  there  was  some  danger  in 
the  experiment ;  but  I  could  not  afford  to  tire  my  faithful 
roan,  by  gallopping  her  while  on  a  long  march.  Raising 
my  head  cautiously  and  at  intervals,  I  could  see  the  snnall 
herd  of  buffalo  bounding  along  after  their  ungainly  fash- 
ion, and  evidently  making  for  a  kind  of  gap  or  break  in 
the  ravine,  a  few  hundred  yards  ahead.  Increasing  my 
speed,  I  was  enabled  to  lie  down,  about  seventy  or  eighty 
yards  from  their  crossing-place,  just  as  the  leader  plunged 
into  the  defile.  Allowing  two  or  three  scraggy  ill-look- 
ing animals  to  pass  unnoticed,  I  at  last  saw  a  fine  fat 
young  cow  enter  the  pass.  I  let  her  descend,  and  re- 
served my  fire  till  she  should  begin  to  mount  the  oppo- 
site "  brae."  When  she  was  about  mjd-way  up,  I  fired 
with  deliberate  aim,  and  heard  that  welcome  crack,  which 
tells  to  a  sportsman's  ear  that  his  bullet  has  found  its 
mark.  However,  I  remained  still,  and  she  continued  her 
course.  At  length,  I  observed  that  the  rest  gallopped 
on,  and  she  lagged  behind.  I  then  gave  chace  :  before 
I  came  up  she  had  staggered  and  fallen ;  and  on  reach- 
ing the  spot,  I  found  that  the  ball  had  pierced  her  heart. 
I  now  returned  to  my  companions,  and,  shouting  to  them 
to  bring  the  two  pack-horses,  in  a  few  minutes  we  had 
more  fat  meat  slung  across  them^  than  I  could  permit 


293  EVENING  CAMP. 

them  to  be  loaded  withal  on  the  journey.  I  was  proud 
of  this  shot,  and  I  could  see  that  the  Indians  exchanged 
looks  of  surprise  and  admiration  when  they  saw  the  fear- 
ful rent  which  my  ounce-ball  had  made  in  the  buffalo's 
heart. 

We  made  a  short  and  merry  feast,  and  slung  enough 
meat  to  last  for  one  or  two  days.  We  then  pursued  our 
course  till  dusk.  The  wild  horse  required  a  little  disci- 
pline of  the  cudgel  by  the  way  ;  but  I  now  found  that 
merely  shaking  it  near  his  head,  and  calling  to  him  at 
the  same  time,  was  sufficient  to  quiet  him.  We  camped 
for  the  evening  on  the  brink  of  a  streamlet,  having  made 
about  thirty  miles,  east-north-east.  Here  we  were  both 
surprised  and  annoyed  at  finding  a  number  of  niusqui- 
toes  and  horse-flies,  a  nuisance  from  which  we  had  been 
so  long  free  ;  and  on  applying  to  the  Indian,  he  told  me 
that  the  "  a-shats"  (musquito)  never  came  within  reach 
of  their  village  or  camp.  'Whether  this  be  owing  to  the 
number  of  fires,  or  peculiar  smell  exhaled  by  the  skins 
and  grease  which  they  use,  I  know  not ;  but  I  had  the 
means  afterwards  of  ascertaining  the  fact. 

9th. — This  day  was  the  most  unfortunate  which  we 
had  hitherto  experienced.  Having,  as  I  thought,  suffi- 
ciently subdued  the  vicious  horse,  I  had  given  it  back  to 

V ,  and   was  again  mounted  on  my  own.     Wliile 

riding  in  front  with  the  guide,  I  heard  a  noise  behind  me, 
and  turning  round  saw  him  on  the  ground,  and  the  brute 
plunging  about  him  and  upon  him.  Gallopping  back  at 
full  speed,  T  shouted  as  I  rode  up  to  this  wild  beast,  and 
he  went  off  loose  over  the  prairie.  Hastily  directing 
the  second  Indian  to  watch,  follow,  and  catch  him,  I 

stooped   down  over  V ,  whom  I  found   speechless, 

and  almost  without  sense  or  motion.  Fortunately  there 
was  a  stream  and  a  tree  not  far  off:  we  carried  him 
thither,  and  placing  him  under  the  latter,  began  to  use 
all  the  means  in  our  power  to  restore  suspended  anima- 
tion. At  length,  to  my  anxious  inquiries  as  to  where  he 
felt  the  severe  pain  or  hurt,  he  answered  by  indicating 
his  breast  and  ribs.  All  our  stock  of  medicine  was  in- 
cluded in  one  bottle  of  brandy,  which  I  had  carefully 
reserved  in  case  of  violent  dysentery  or  accidents.     I 


SERIOUS  ACCIDENT.  299 

now  opened  it ;  we  began  to  chafe  his  body,  and  sooh 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  fully  restored  to  the 
powers  of  consciousness  and  respiration  ;  but  he  suffered 
much  pain,  his  breast  was  bruised  severely,  he  thought 
two  or  three  ribs  were  broken,  and  his  left  arm  was  so 
severely  hurt  that  he  could  not  move  or  raise  it. 

I  do  not  know  that  ever  I  spent  so  anxious  an  hour; 
for  the  thought  occurred  to  me  that  if  he  had  received 
contusions  affecting  either  the  lungs  or  the  intestines,  he 
might  die  for  want  of  surgical  assistance.  I  looked  at 
my  roan,  and  for  some  minutes  thought  of  leaving  him 
with  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  taking  a  little  dried  buffalo 
meat,  of  riding  alone,  as  fast  as  she  could  carry  me,  to 
the  fort,  to  ask  for  a  surgeon  and  two  or  three  soldiers 
to  assist. in  transporting  him.  Then  I  remembered  the 
length  of  the  journey,  the  probability  that  I  might  fail  in 
returning  to  the  exact  spot,  and  the  time  that  must  neces- 
sarily elapse  before  I  could  return,  which  rendered  it 
probable  that  before  then  he  must  be  either  dead  or  con- 
valescent;  so  I  determined  to  remain  with  him,  and 
endeavour  to  play  the  part  of  surgeon  as  well  as  our 
slender  means  would  permit.  Accordingly,  I  ordered 
some  buffalo  broth  to  be  made,  and  in  the  meantime 
continued  the  brandy  embrocation  both  to  the  arm  and 
the  body  ;  we  made  him  as  soft  a  bed  as  we  could 
with  our  skins,  and  left  much  to  the  care  of  dame 
Nature  ;  a  nurse  who,  when  unthwarted  by  folly  and 
quackery,  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  of  the  restorers 
of  health.  Meantime  the  Indian  lad  returned,  leading 
the  author  of  all  this  evil ;  and  as  I  looked  at  his 
malignant  eye  and  his^'flapping  sulky  ears,  I  internally 
resolved  to  take  him  under  my  own  particular  care,  to 
load  him  and  cudgel  him  to  his  heart's  content,  as  soon 
as  we  might  be  able  to  resume  a  journey  which  had  been 
interrupted  by  his  savage  vice. 

Upon    inquiring   into    the    origin   of  the    accident,  I 

learned  that  he  had  begun  to  jump  a  little  ;  V had 

tried  to  soothe  and  coax  him  :  as  soon  as  he  discovered 
this  change  in  the  system  of  government,  he  reared  and 
plunged  more  violently  and  threw  his  rider — who  was,  as 
I  before  remarked,  not  a  very  practised  horseman.     All 


300  RETURN  TO  THE  PAWNEES. 

this  I  could  have  forgiven  him  ;  but  the  jumping  about 
V ,  and  kicking  at  him  while  on  the  ground,  I  deter- 
mined to  requite  upon  the  first  opportunity.  At  present 
I  only  hobbled  and  tied  liim  fast,  in  which  operation  a 
few  hints  both  from  my  voice  and  cudgel  were  neces- 
sary. 

At  mid-day,  I  found  with  great  satisfaction,  that  a  few 
hours'  rest,  together  with  the  brandy  embrocation,  had 

very  much  allayed  the  pain  and  inflammation  of  V 's 

hurts.  Neither  the  arm  nor  ribs  proved  to  be  broken  ; 
but  the  former  was  so  contused  as  to  be  without  use  or 
motion.  At  this  time,  the  Indian  coming  up  to  me,  said 
that  "the  Great  Spirit  was  against  our  going — that  this 
sign,  or  omen,  was  not  good — that  it  was  against  his 
medicine  to  guide  us  ;  and  he  must  strike  to  the  south, 
to  the  Pawnee  trail,  and  rejoin  them." 

It  is  never  any  use  to  argue  a  question'with  an  Indian  : 
this  man,  though  an  excellent  guide  and  runner,  was 
neither  a  hunter,  nor  a  warrior ;  and  he  probably  did  not 
much  like  crossing  with  so  small  a  company  a  wide 
extent  of  wilderness,  where  we  were  so  liable  to  fall  in 
with  war-parties  from  other  tribes.  I  consulted  my 
companions,  and  we  all  agreed  that  it  would  be  foolish 
rashness  to  endeavour  to  find  our  way  to  the  settlements 
without  a  guide,  and  with  one  of  our  small  party  com- 
pletely crippled  and  inefficient.     Indeed  I  thought  that 

y might  require  the  assistance  and  rough  nursing  of 

the  Indians  before  he  would  be  able  to  undergo  the 
fatigue  of  so  long  a  journey  ;  we,  therefore,  agreed  to 
go  back  to  the  Pawnees,  although,  I  believe,  we  were 
all  so  heartily  tired  of  them,  that  we  would  have  done 
anything  consistent  with  common  sense  to  avoid  being 
again  WMth  them.  However,  there  was  no  remedy  ;  and 
we  struck  off  at  an  easy  and  gentle  rate,  south-south- 
east. I  took  charge  of  the  wild  horse,  for  he  would  not 
permit  eitlier  of  my  attendants  to  come  near  him  ;  and  I 
placed  upon  him  the  heaviest  pair  of  saddle-bags  which 

we  possessed,  beside  my  own  person,  while  V rode 

my  gentle  roan. 

We  camped  in  the  evening  without  accident,  and  V 

seemed  to  recover  from  his  bodily  bruises  ;  but  the  arm 


Repulsive  scENfi. 


S%i 


remained  powerless.  His  sieed  gave  us  here  another 
specimen  of  liis  amiable  nature,  i  had  lied  him  by  ihe 
laryeite  to  a  slump  to  keep  him  quiet,  while  we  unpack- 
ed the  oiher  animals  ;  and,  in  arranging  ihe  baggage,  my 
servant  walked  uuguardedly,  with  a  pair  of  saddle-bags 
over  his  arm,  too  near  the  place  where  he  was  apparent- 
ly feeding  ;  but  he  was  only  watching  an  opporlunily  for 
mischief;  for  he  backed  suJdenlv,  and  kicked  with  boih 
heels  and  all  his  force  at  poor  John,  who  had  a  narrow 
escape  ;  for  the  saddle-bags  were  sent  some  yards  fiom 
him,  and  he  hiuiself  nearly  knocked  over,  whether  by 
surprise  and  alarm,  or  by  the  horse's  hoofs,  I  know  not. 
However,  there  could  be  no  satisfaction  in  travelling  in 
company  with  such  a  sly  brute,  and  I  determined  to  ex- 
change him  for  anything  I  could  get  when  we  overtook 
the  village. 

About  ten  o'clock  on  the  following  day  we  found  the 
great  Pawnee  trail,  and,  following  ii,  came  at  mid-day  to 
the  plate  where  ihey  had  camped  the  night  before,  and  a 
most  hideous  spectacle  did  it  present  :  the  grass  was  all 
trodden  into  mud — hundreds  of  circular  heaps  of  charred 
wood  attested  the  number  of  fires  that  had  been  used  ; 
and  the  whole  plain  was  strewed  with  split  heads,  bare 
skeletons,  and  scattered  entrails  of  buffalo;  while  some 
hundreds  of  the  half-starved  Pawnee  dogs,  who  had  linger- 
ed behind  the  village,  were  endeavouring  to  dispute  some 
morsels  of  the  carcasses  with  the  gaunt  snarling  wolves, 
who  were  stripping  the  scanty  relics  of  skin  and  sinew 
which  are  left  by  Indian  buichery  attached  to  the  bone. 
So  intent  were  these  last  upon  their  filthy  meal,  that  they 
allowed  me  to  ride  close  up  to  them  without  leaving  it; 
and  I  could  have  shot  half  a  dozen  of  them  with  a 
pocket-pistol.  The  desolation  of  the  scene  was  rather 
increased  than  diminished  by  two  small  circular  lodges, 
the  apertures  to  which  were  closed,  and  from  which  pro- 
ceeded the  low  wailing  chant  of  Indian  mourning. 

This  I  observed  to  be  a  common  custom  atnong  the 
Pawnees.  After  the  rest  of  the  village  had  been  for  se- 
veral hours  on  the  march,  a  mourning  family  would  re- 
main behind  and  sing  this  melancholy  kind  of  dirge.  I 
should  think  that  it  must  be  a  very  dangerous  mode  of 

Vol.  I.— Cc 


302  INDIAN    MOURNING. 

lamentation  while  in  these  remote  excursions  ;  because, 
if  any  hostile  war-pariy  was  hovering  on  ihe  Pawnee 
trail,  they  would  inevitably  fall  viclims  to  the  pursuers. 
But  this  risk  may  be  the  very  reason  for  ils  hemg  es- 
teemed so  great  a  tribute  to  the  dead  ;  or,  possibly,  they 
may  trust  to  the  distant  out-posts  of  well-inounied  war- 
riors, with  which  the  Pawnees  always  secure  their  rear 
and  flanks. 

The  duration  of  mourning  among  this  tribe  seems  very 
unfixed  :  the  widow  always  mourns  a  year  for  her  hus- 
band ;  but  I  have  someiimes  seen  squaws  moaning  and 
chanting  in  the  evening  at  a  little  distance  from  camp  ; 
and,  on  inquiry,  have  learned  ihat  they  were  mourning  for 
a  relative,  who  had  been  some  years  dead. 

About  ten  miles  beyond  this  spot,  we  found  the  Paw- 
nees encamped,  and  made  our  way  straight  to  the  lodge 

of  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  ;  for  V did  not  wish  to  trust  himself 

again  in  ihat  of  Pa^-ta^-la^-cha'ro,  so  importunate  in  his 
demands,  and  so  insolent  in  pressing  liiem,  had  that 
youn^T  chief  become  of  late.  Indeed,  just  before  our 
former  departure,  he  had  refused  to  sell  us  a  horse, 
altfiough  he  had  ihiriy,  and  we  offered  iiim  the  full  com- 
plement of  arlicles  usually  given  in  exchange  ;  his  tem- 
per was  by  no  means  improved  'by  his  having  lost  his 
two  best  horses  in  gambling  at  the  game  of  the  hoop 
and  dart  before  described.     So  it  was  agreed  that  we 

would  only  stay  till  V was  able  to  travel,  and  until 

we  could  procure  fresh  guides  and  another  horse,  in  the 
place  of  the  "  wild  beast." 

The  old  chief  received  us  in  his  usual  kind  manner; 
and,  agreeably  to  Indian  custom,  testified  not  the  least 
surprise  at  our  return,  nor  curiosity  to  know  what  had 
so  suddenly  caused  it,  until  we  were  seated,  and  chose  to 

explain  to  him  by  signs,  that  V tiad  been,  and  still 

was  nuich  hurt  by  a  bad  horse,  and  that  our  guide,  his 
brother,  had  thought  it  "  bad  medicine"  to  proceed. 

Sa-ni-tsa-rish  said  he  was  sorry  my  white  brother  was 
hurl,  and  that  one  of  his  young  men  should  try  and  find 
a  horse  in  exchange  for  the  wicked  one.     When  he  found 

that  V would  not  return  to  the  lodge  of  Pae-tae  la^- 

cha'rd,  he  shook  his  head,  and  looked  somewhat  grave 


A    COMMISSION.  303 

and  disconcerted.  1  knew  that  he  had  not  roonn  nor  pro- 
visions for  all  our  party,  and  that  we  ougfit  noi  to  put  the 
old  man  to  ranch  inconvenience,  especially  in  drawing 
upon  him  ihe  ill-will  of  the  haughty  young  chief;  I,  there- 
fore, lold  him  that,  if  he  would  procure  us  the  horse  and 
two  fresh  guides,  that  we  wished  to  go  immediately  ;  for 

V said    he    was    well  enough  to   sit  upon  a  horse, 

though  not  to  make  long  marches  at  fiist.  I  do  not  think 
that  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  was  well  pleased  wilh  the  conduct  of 
his  brother  (who  was,  indeed,  a  timid  foolish  Indian),  nor 
do  I  think  that  the  latter  was  very  well  satisfied  with  his 
own  performances  ;  for  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  camp, 
he  had  gone  off  to  his  lodge,  and,  during  our  slay,  he 
neither  came  to  us  nor  to  his  brother. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Commission  intrusted  to  the  Canadian  Interpreter. — Arrangement 
with  two  Indian  Guides. — Pae-tae-lae-cha"r6 — Indications  of  his  Ma- 
lignity.— Leave  the  Pawnees. — Harangue  of  the  Guide. — Dinner. — 
March  resumed. — Fearful  Storm. — Indian  Superstition. — Morning 
after  the  Storm. — Ramble  in  Search  of  Game. — Antelope. — A  nar- 
row Escape. — An  Indian  Hunter — Conversation  with  him. — Lose  my 
Party. — Visit  to  an  Indian  Camp. — My  Reception  there. 

I  NOW  sent  up  to  the  Republican  band  for  the  Cana- 
dian interpreier,  and  requested  him  to  assist  in  changing 
the  horse,  and  in  hiring  two  guides  for  the  fort,  and  ask- 
ed him  to  secure,  if  possible,  two  bold  active  fellows, 
who  would  not  turn  back  for  a  trifle.  The  first  part  of 
this  commission  he  executed  by  giving  me  an  animal  of 
his  own,  which  looked  tolerably  well  at  first,  but  a  few 
days'  experience  showed  him  to  be  lame  from  a  conceal- 
ed disease  in  the  foot.  How  he  executed  the  second, 
the  sequel  will  show.  He  brought  me  two  young  men; 
the  elder  was  called  a  hunter  and  a  warrior  (having  been 
out  wilh  a  war-party) ;  and  they  both  said  that  they  were 
willing  to  guide  the  white  chief  to  his  home,  and  to  see 
his  white  brothers.  I  was  inclined  favourably  towards 
the  elder  of  these  young  men,  because  he  was  a  relative 


304  GUIDES    HIRED. 

of  our  old  chief.  I  ihen  repealed  carefully  with  the  in- 
terpreter whai  1  would  give  ihem  when  we  readied  the 
fort  ;  so  many  blaiikeis,  knives,  papers  of  paini,  strings 
of  wampum,  pieces  of  cloth,  a  horse,  &c. ; — all  lids  I 
wrote  with  my  pencil,  and  read  to  them.  They  said, 
"  Their  while  faiher  was  good  ;  his  hand  was  open  ;  they 
would  go  10  his  home." 

Having  arranged  this  matter,  we  all  slept  under,  or 
nen\  the  !'-'>ge  of  Sa-ni-tsa-rish.  1  found  the  interior  of 
the  lodge  so  close  and  offensive  duiing  some  of  these 
indd  nights  that  I  frequently  spread  my  bearskin  before 
it,  where  my  brother,  the  chief's  son,  slept  near  me,  and 
sung  me  to  sleep  v\ith  his  low  monotonous  war-song. 
Indeed,  a  great  many  of  the  young  Pawnee  warriors 
prefer  sleeping  on  the  damp  ground,  wrapped  in  their 
buffalo-skin  or  blanket,  to  the  interior  of  a  lodge,  which 
last  they  consider  effeminate.  Jn  the  morning  1  was  re- 
joiced to  find  that  V — • —  was  so  much  better  as  lo  de- 
clare himself  able  and  anxious  lo  escape,  a  second  time, 
from  ilie  vermin  nest,  to  which  we  had  so  unwillingly  re- 
lumed. 

We  then  collected  our  packs  of  skins,  and  whatever 
few  other  articles  we  possessed  ;  having  also  contrived 
to  purchase  a  small  additional  supply  of  dried  maize  and 
buffalo  meat,  and  began  to  load  our  horses  before  our 
old  chief's  lodge.  While  this  ceremony  was  being 
performed,  Pae-ta^-lag-cha'ro,  with  whom  V had  be- 
fore resided,  came  up  and  squalled  down  by  our  goods, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  ihem,  and,  w'ilhoul  deignincr  to 

notice  V ,  who  had  been  so  long  his  guest,  and  from 

whom  he  had  received  as  many  presents  as  our  means 
had  enabled  him  to  offer.  He  sat  for  some  lime  perfectly 
still,  and  gave  me  full  leisure  to  admire  (as  I  could  not 
help  doing)  the  magnificent  mould  of  his  Herculean 
limbs,  uniting  the  smooth  roundness  and  pliant  grace  pe- 
culiar lo  the  Indians,  with  a  developemenl  of  muscle 
and  sinew  rarely  seen  among  ihem.  He  had  shaved  off 
the    ponderous    mass    of  black  and  bushy  hair,*    which 

*  It  is  well  known  that  the  Indians'  hair  is  almost  universally  black 
?^nJ  strati ;  that  of  this  chief  was  certainly  an  exception  to  the  latter,  fox 


INDIAN    CHIEF.  305 

covered  his  head  when  I  had  first  known  him;  all  but 
the  scalplock,  which,  intertwined  with  an  eagle's  feather, 
and  tinged  wiih  vermilion,  now  rose  high  above  his  scalp, 
as  if  daring  any  mortal  to  try  to  win  it. 

I  know  not  what  had  obtained  for  us  the  displeasure 
and  hatred  of  this  dangerous  chief;  but,  though  we  had 
so  often  eaien,  hunted,  and  smoked  together — thou^rh  our 
attendants  had  rendered  him  a  number  of  services,  in 
trifling  matters  which  his  own  people  did  not  understand, 
he  now  looked  up  in  my  face  as  if  he  had  never  known 
me,  and,  with  a  countenance  strongly  indicative  of  dis- 
like and  malignity.  In  returning  liis  look,  I  threw  into 
my  manner  as  much  unconcern  and  contempt  as  I  could  ; 
but,  nevertheless,  thought  it  not  unlikely  that  he  would 
do  us  some  mischief  before  we  reached  the  fort. 

Old  ISa-ni-lsa-rish's  gave  me  a  warm  embrace  at  part- 
ing, as  before ;  but  he  was  grave  and  thoughtful,  and 
said,  there  were  bad  men  in  the  prairie  ;  adding  a  signi- 
ficant sign  that  we  should  look  out  while  we  slept.* 
This  last  caution  I  determined  not  to  forget;  but  I  did 
not  communicate  it  to  the  rest  of  the  party,  thinking  that 
without  it  there  was  already  in  the  journey  before  us 
sufficient  cause  for  anxiety  and  uneasiness. 

On  the  morning  of  the  11th  we  again  bade  adieu  to 
the  Pawnees,  and  most  anxiously  did  we  all  wish  that  it 
might  be  for  ever.  While  we  shook  bands  with  all  the 
other  Indians  around,  and  while  I  embraced  my  old 
chief,  and  iiry  brother,!  Pa^-ta^-la^-cha'ro   retained  the 

when  allowed  to  grow  Ions',  it  was  extreme!)'  thick,  and  had  a  very 
perceptible  wave.  I  have  also  both  read  and  heard  of  many  exceptions 
to  the  black  colour  in  the  remote  tribes  in  the  mountains,  such  as  the 
Arrapahoes,  Kaskaias,  &c.,  and  more  especially  the  Mandans  on  the 
Upper  Missouri,  among  whom  there  are  many  instances  of  hair  of  a 
grayish  blue  ashy  colour;  but  it  prevails  more  among  the  females  than 
among  the  men. 

*  This  sign  is  made  by  suffering  the  head  to  rest  for  a  moment  on  the 
palm  of  the  right  hand,  in  a  reclining  position  (to  imitate  sleep),  and 
then  passing  the  forefinger  of  the  same  hand  from  the  eye  in  an  t)blique 
direction,  which  indicates  that  you  are  to  look,  secretly  or  warily  ; 
whereas,  if  you  are  desired  to  look  straight  before  you,  or  openly,  the 
forefinger  would  be  directed  toward  the  supposed  object  in  front. 

+  The  son  of  Sa-ni-fsa  rish,  whom  I  have  more  than  once  mentioned, 
and  who  was,  in  the  main,  a  good-natured  young  man,  had  frequently, 
while  we   were  hunting  together,  called  me  by  this  name,  which  is  Eh- 

Cc* 


306  MARCH    COMMENCED. 

same  sulky  and  unmoved  expression,  and  we  began  our 
march  wiihoul  his  having  bestowed  one  mark  of  recog- 
niiion,  either  on  his  laie  guest  or  on  myself. 

Soon  afier  we  had  left  the  village  I  rode  forward, 
in  order  to  make  my  observations  on  the  disposition  of 
the  guide,  to  watch  how  he  selected  the  ground  for  our 
route,  and  also  to  amuse  myself  by  improving  myself  in 
Pawnee  grairimar.  The  young  man  seemed  very  lively 
and  communicative,  and  was  extremely  fond  of  convers- 
ing by  signs,  an  art  in  which  he  was  thoroughly  versed  ; 
and  1  soon  became  so  familiar  with  his  method  of  ex- 
pression, that  1  could  understand  almost  everything  he 
wished  to  explain  to  me. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  record  a  long  speech  he 
thus  made  me,  and  of  which  I  could  understand  the 
whole  without  his  once  speaking  : — "  My  father,  you  are 
going  home  to  your  lodge  ;  it  is  very  far;  twenty  days 
we  must  travel  fast.  I  am  your  brother.  I  will  find  the 
path  ;  I  will  find  water.  At  nigfit  I  will  watch  to  see  if 
bad  men  are  coming;  Sioux  and    Shiennes,  and  others, 

are  bad  men.  Your  white  brother  (V )  is  not  strong  ; 

lie  is  Vv'ounded  in  the  arm  and  body  ;  he  must  sleep;  I 
will  look.  You  will  come  to  your  village  (Fort  Leaven- 
worth); I  shall  see  your  people  ;  they  will  give  me  plenty 
to  eat.  I  will  see  your  prett}^  white  squaws  ;  you  will 
give  me  blankets,  beads,  a  horse;  you  will  load  him  for 
me  with  knives,  and  cloth,  and  a  coat,  and  a  hat.  I  will 
go  back  to  tlie  Pawnees  ;  I  will  be  a  man  ;  I  will  take  a 
squaw — a  very  pretty  young  squaw.  Men  will  see  my 
blankets,  and  other  goods,  and  will  say,  '  The  while 
chief  is  your  father;  he  has  an  open  hand.'  " 

During  this  haranirne  he  frequently  slopped,  and  asked 
me  by  signs  if  I  understood.  If  I  answered  by  an  af- 
firmative sign,  he  immediately  went  on,  if  by  a  negative, 
he  repeated  his  gestures  more  carefully  until  I  compre- 
hended them. 

After  travelling  in  this  manner  about  twenty  miles,  we 
reached  a  creek  of  considerable   size  ;  it  was  very  wel- 

r&h-re,  puttiniT  at  ttie  same  time,  two  finj^ers  of  tlie  ricrht  hand  toaether 
on  his  lower  hp,  and  then  prpssinjr  his  clenched  hand  over  his  heart  ; 
the  first  of  these  signs  denoung  brotherhood  ;  the  second,  afTeclion. 


DINNER.  307 

Come  to  our  eyes,  for  we  were  very  ihirsly  ;  moreover, 
we  Uiought  it  would  lead  us  lo  one  of  the  upper  forks  of 
the  Kauzas.*  and  when  we  should  have  crossed  iliat 
river,  we  should  be  among  friendly  Indians,  and  consider 
ourselves  safe.  Here  we  camped  and  prepared  our  din- 
ner, which  was  by  no  means  to  be  despised  ;  for  be  it 
remenjbered,  that  we  had  kept,  besides  a  pound  or  two 
of  tea,  cotfee,  and  sugar,  a  small  sack  of  flour,  two  or 
three  quarls  of  beans,  and  a  large  piece  of  fat  bacon,  or 
rather,  bacon  fat ;  besides  ihese  civilized  luxuries,  we 
had  some  maize  and  dried  buffalo  meat.  Our  kitchen 
utensils  consisted  of  a  larcre  iron  pot,  a  smaller  tin  one, 
for  boiling  our  tea,  coffee,  &c.,  and  a  frying-pan  without  a 
handle.  ( )ur  dinner  and  tea  service  were  uot  upon  so  mag- 
nificent a  scale,  having  each  of  us  a  butcher's  knife,  a  tin 
cup,  a  wooden  bowl,  and  a  spoon  made  of  buffalo-horn. 
We  now  determined  to  indemnify  ourselves  for  our  dirty 
half-dressed  fare  among  the  Pawnees,  not  by  the  quan- 
tity, but  by  the  quality  and  delicacy  of  our  cookery.  I 
appointed  young  Hardy,  the  American  lad,  cook.  As 
soon  as  his  face  was  turned  homeward,  he  improved  very 
much  in  spirits,  readiness,  and  activityj  and  in  all  the 
detail  of  daily  work  completely  beat  my  other  servant, 
although  the  lalter  was  a  full  grown  and  a  stronger  man. 
We  put  into  the  pot,  with  three  or  four  quarts  of  water, 
a  large  lump  of  meat,  with  some  maize  and  a  few  beans. 
When  these  were  thoroushly  boiled,  ihey  made  a  very 
palatable  and  nutritious  soup  ;  but  in  our  second  course 
we  indulged  in  a  luxury  to  which  we  had  lotig  been 
strangers;  for  we  made  some  small  flour  cakes,  by  fry- 
ing them  in  bacon  fat,  and  finished  this  repast  with  a 
cup  of  coffee.  After  which  we  lit  our  pipes  with  Kinne- 
kennik,  leaned  back  against  some  of  the  bales  with  our 
feet  tQ.  the  fire,  and  felt  as  complete  a  contempt  for  want 
and  care  as  ever  I  remember  to  have  experienced.  In 
feeding  our  guides,  I  had  allowed  them  a  larger  allowance 
of  meat  and  maize  than  we  took  ourselves  ;  but  no  cakes, 
as  our  stock  of  flour  was  so  small ;  and  as  to  bacon,  no 

*  It  would  liave  led  us,  as  we  afterward  discovered,  to  one  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  Arkansas. 


308  MARCH    RESUMED. 

Pawnee  will  touch  it.*  The  coffee  they  did  not  like  ;  and 
it  is  no  wonder;  for  thinking  it  was  throwing  pearls  before 
swine,  I  took  care  to  dilute  their  portions  liberally  with 
water  ;  but  I  found  that,  whether  strong  or  weak,  they 
disliked  it,  and  only  drank  it  because  they  thought  it 
was  "great  medicine  "  auiong  the  whites. 

In  the  afternoon  we  marclied  for  two  or  three  hours, 
observing  generally  the  course  of  the  same  stream.  We 
passed  vast  herds  of  buffalo ;  our  guides  v*^ished  me  to 
shoot  one  or  two,  but  I  would  not,  for  more  reasons  than 
one  ;  first,  I  thought  we  had  still  as  much  meat  as  our 
horses  ought  to  be  made  to  carry,  so  that  it  would  be  but 
wanton  cruelty  to  kill  what  we  could  notuse;  and  second- 
ly, I  could  not  tell  how  near  to  us  might  be  lurking  parties 
of  Pawnees,  perhaps  watching  these  very  herds,  and 
who  might,  if  1  began  to  hunt  and  shoot  them,  be  depriv- 
ed of  their  meat  supply,  and  become  hostile  in  iheir  views 
toward  us;  so  I  would  not  permit  the  animals  to  be  dis- 
turbed, and  we  passed  quieily  on  about  twelve  miles  : 
course  by  compass  east  by  north. 

A  heavy  black  mass  of  clouds  now  appeared  above  the 
north-west  horizon,  and  we  resolved  to  camp  immediately, 
in  order  to  get  time  to  shelter  our  baggage,  secure  our 
horses,  light  our  fire,  and,  if  possible,  pitch  our  tent. 
This  last  was  a  small  fly-tent,  which  liad  been  lent  to  me 
by  one  of  the  officers  at  the  fort ;  we  had  used  it  only  a 
few  times  on  our  outward  march,  and  never  since  we  had 
joined  I  he  Pawnee  village.  I  would  now  have  left  it  in 
the  barren  wilderness,  whese  we  could  not  find  tent-poles 
with  which  to  raise  it,  had  I  not  thought  that  I  was  bound 
by  all  the  considerations  of  honesty  and  politeness,  to  re- 
turn it  to  the  mess  from  which  I  had  been  allowed  to 
take  it. 

We  had  ill  calculated  the  rapidity  with  which  one  of 
these  terrible  s'orms  in  the  West  marches  across  the  hea- 
vens. We  had  only  just  tim.e  to  unload  and  secure  our 
horses,  and  to  pile  our  baggage  in  a  heap,  with  the  tent 

*  The  horror  of  many  tribe  of  Indians  for  bacon  may  be  noticed  as 
one  of  the  curious  coincidences  which  have  been  brought  forward  for  the 
purpose  of  tracing  their  origin  up  to  the  Israelites. 


FEARFUL  STORM.  309 

thrown  loosely  over  it,  when  the  flood-gates  were  let  loose 
above  us,  and  a  torrent  descended,  such  as  I  have  never 
seen  exceeded,  if  equalled,  in  my  hfe.  The  darkness 
seemed  blacker  ilian  Ui?ual,  fitful  gusis  of  tempest  swept 
wiih  unchecked  fury  over  the  waste,  while  ilie  broad 
flashes  of  lightning  wljich  accompanied  the  heavy  and 
repealed  peals  of  thunder,  served  to  reveal  to  us  our 
pitiful  and  miserable  plight.  Pitiful,  indeed,  it  was,  for 
we  had  neither  food,  fire,  nor  shelter,  but  were  stretched 
on  the  grass  round  the  baggage,  each  in  the  position 
which  he  had  first  chosen,  wrapped  in  our  buffalo-skins, 
which,  in  half  an  hour,  were  completely  soaked  and 
drenched.  There  was  no  remedy  but  to  lie  quiet  and 
make  the  best  of  it ;  for,  after  the  first  fury  of  the  storm 
had  passed  over,  a  heavy  continuous  rain  succeeded,  and 
did  not  cease  till  morning.  Just  about  dawn  the  guide 
came  to  me,  led  me  a  little  on  one  side,  ihen  pointing 
upward,  told  me  in  a  whisper  to  "  ask  the  Great  Spu'it  to 
send  no  more  rain,  but  to  show  ihe  sun  ;"  I  gravely  made 
a  sign  of  assent,  and  he  went  away  apparently  satisfied. 
Whether  he  derived  this  idea  from  his  own  superstitious 
belief  in  the  white  man's  superior  facilities  of  communi- 
cating with  the(jreat  Spirit,  or  whether  he  had  heard  any-, 
thing  from  one  of  the  Missionaries  about  praying,  I  know 
not. 

With  the  dawn,  the  darkness  and  the  rain  departed, 
and  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  sensation  which  1  expe- 
rienced, nor  the  appearance  of  our  group.  Drenched, 
hungry,  and  shivering  with  cold,  we  cravvled  out  of  the 
puddles  in  which  we  had  slept,  and  I  never  saw  a  more 
miserable-looking  set  of  Christians  than  we  were.  Our 
clothes  were  soaked,  ragged,  and  dirty  ;  our  beards  of  a 
week's  growth  ;  and  our  broad-brinmned  hats  doubled  and 
squeezed  into  the  mosi  quaint  and  fantastic  shapes.  Even 
the  Indians,  as  they  rose  and  shook  their  blankets,  patted 
their  cold  ribs  and  loins,  saying,  "  It  is  very  cold  ; — not 
good,  not  good."  Som3  of  our  party  complained  much 
of  symptoms  of  lumbago  and  rheumatism  ;  but  I  urged 
them  to  jump  and  move  about,  to  catch  the  horses  which 
had  strayed  to  some  distance,  although  hobbled,  and  to 
try  and  make  a  fire.    This  last,  after  no  little  trouble,  we 


310  BREAKFAST. 

effected,  put  on  our  pots,  and  made  some  soup  and  hot 
coffee,  smoked  our  pipe  of  Kinnekinnik,*  and,  as  soon 
as  the  sun  appeared,  spread  our  clothes  and  skins  to  dry. 
We  were  obhged  also  to  spread  all  our  meat,  for  ihat 
beinfT  carried  in  packs  will  spoil  very  soon,  unless  kept 
carefully  dry. 

While  lying  thus  lazily  steaming  and  drying  myself, 
it  being  the  morning  of  the  1 2th,  I  began  to  think  of  the 
thousands  of  citizens,  cockneys,  and  sportsmen,  who 
were  on  this  day  killing  (or  friohtening)  their  fifty  brace 
on  the  brown  hills  of  old  Scotland.  1  felt  a  longing  to 
be  there — not  for  the  grouse,  but  for  some  of  the  fami- 
liar faces  of  honae. 

At  noon  we  started  again,  and  soon  fell  in  with  a  small 
party  of  Pawnees,  who  were  pursuing  a  straightcourse  for 
their  winter  village,  north-north-east ;  we  interchanged 
a  few  words  and  passed  on.  The  day  had  now  become 
very  close  and  sultry,  so  I  threw  off  my  coat  and  waist- 
coat, and  securing  my  ammunition  in  my  waist-belt, 
determined  to  walk  off  the  stiffening  effects  of  the  pre- 
ceding night's  ducking.  The  guide  pointed  to  a  high 
point  or  knob  at  a  distance,  apparently  terminating  the 
ridge  on  which  we  were  situated,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  the  party  should  camp  there  for  the  night ;  while  I 
should  take  a  ramble  with  my  rifle,  and  endeavour  to  ob- 
tain a  supply  of  fresh  fat,  of  which  we  were  much  in 
need  for  our  frying-pan  operations.  Accordingly,  I  start- 
ed, and  after  traversing  a  large  space  of  barren,  undula- 
ting ground,  I  saw  a  few  antelope  browsing  ;  as  they 
had  also  seen  me,  all  my  attempts  to  approach  them 
were  abortive;  so  I  determined  to  try  a  method  well 
known  to  western  hunters.  Hidinsj  myself  behind  a 
small  mound,  I  raised  my  handkerchief  on  the  point  of 
my  ranu'od,  and  waved  it  gently  once  or  twice,  then  w'ilh- 
drew  it;  this  manoeuvre  I  repeated  two  or  three  times, 

*  KinnfkTnnIck  ;  this  mixture,  which  is  smoked  by  all  the  Indians  of 
the  western  regions,  is  usually  composed  of  the  dried  leaves  of  the  shu- 
mack  and  the  inner  bark  of  the  red  willow  ;  these  are  chopped  very  fine, 
and  the  compound  is  generally  carried  in  otters'  skins,  ornamented  with 
beads  or  porcupine  quills;  with  the  addition  of  one-fourth  proportion 
of  tobacco,  it  is  a  smoking-mixture  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  I  be- 
lieve the  word  is  Delaware. 


NARROW    ESCAPE.  311 

and  the  silly,  curious  animnls  approached  wiih  their  noses 
and  necks  stretched  forward,  to  see  what  this  strange  ap- 
parition could  be.  They  were  coming  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  would  have  been  almost  immediately  within  shot, 
when  preparing  to  present  my  rifle,  I  made  some  awk- 
ward movement,  so  as  to  expose  my  elbow  or  shoulder, 
and  in  a  moment  the  timid  creatures  ran  off  at  full  speed, 
leaving  me  in  the  worst  predicament  that  a  man  can  be 
in,  angry  with  himself. 

After  walking  for  another  hour,  I  saw  a  single  buffalo 
grazing  on  tlie  lop  of  a  hill,  the  sides  of  which  were  very 
level  and  slightly  inclined,  so  as  to  render  it  difficult  to 
approach  him.  Resolving,  however,  to  attempt  it,  I 
look  advantage  of  every  mound  and  hillock  to  conceal 
myself,  until  I  came  within  about  three  hundred  yards  : 
hence  tlie  gentle  slope  was  quite  smooth  ;  so  I  was 
obliged  to  lie  down,  and  trail  myself  along  the  ground, 
likea  serpent,  dragging  my  rifle  with  me.  Whenever 
the  buffalo  stopped  feeding,  and  raised  his  head,  I  in- 
stantly dropped  and  remained  perfectly  still,  until  he 
again  began  to  browse.  In  this  manner  I  had  succeeded 
in  crawling  within  about  eighty  yards,  without  disturb- 
ing the  animal,  when,  just  as  I  raised  myself  slightly,  to 
take  my  aim,  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun.  A  ball  whistled 
by  me,  and  the  buffalo  gallopped  off.  Starting  to  my 
feet,  I  ran  forward,  and  saw  the  hunter  who  had  jus 
fired.  He  had  apparently  been  creeping  to  attack  the 
buffalo  from  the  other  side  :  he  had  missed  his  mark 
and  I  thought  that  the  bullet  had  passed  much  nearer  me 
than  was  necessary.  I  was  not  quite  sure  what  the  ob- 
ject of  his  aim  had  really  been  ;  for  it  is  very  difficult, 
when  a  bullet  is  whistling  through  the  air,  to  tell  its  ex- 
act distance,  as,  (if  it  is  not  completely  round,)  it  will 
sound  much  louder  and  nearer  than  it  would  if  its  form 
were  perfect.  However  this  may  be,  I  felt  rather  doubt- 
ful of  this  Indian,  and  thought  that  he  might  have  taken 
a  fancy  to  prefer  my  rifle  and  ammunition,  and  a  wiiite 
man's  scalp  to  a  load  of  buffalo  meat. 

As  T  drew  near,  he  spoke  to  me  in  Pawnee,  pointed 
to  the  buffalo,  and  said  he  had  missed  it.  I  said,  "  your 
gun  is  bad  !"     He  was  just  beginning  to  reload  it,  when 

•a 
< 


312  INDIAN   HUNTER. 

I  told  him  he  must  not  do  so.  I  pointed  to  my  double 
rifle,  which  was  loaded,  and  said,  Uiat  it  w^as  enough. 
In  fact,  I  ihouglit  il  as  well  to  keep  this  suspicious-loitk- 
ing  fellow  unarmed  while  we  were  in  company.  He 
had,  it  is  true,  a  scalp-knife  for  close  quarters  ;  but  I  had 
one  also  ;  and,  in  looking  him  carefui'y  over,  I  was  pret- 
ty well  satisfied  that  I  was  the  stronger  of  the  two.  He 
did  appear  to  be  more  than  twenty,  and  was  slightly 
formed  :  if  we  were  to  quarrel,  he  might,  ii  is  tiue,  beat 
me  in  running;  but  my  faiihful  Purday  would  have  more 
than  compensated  thai  disadvantage.  However  he  did 
not  seem  in  the  least  angry  or  displeased  when  I  told  him 
not  to  load  his  gun,  but  laughed  at  his  own  bad  shot,  and, 
pointing  to  my  rifle,  said  he  would  give  me  his  piece  and 
a  horse  for  my  "  medicine  gun."  I  declined  the  bargain, 
but  was  pleased  by  the  fellow's  good-humour;  and  thought 
I  had  done  him  an  injustice  in  suspecting  him  of  having 
aimed  at  me.  I  remembered,  also,  that  I  had  a  great 
advantage  over  him  in  my  light  and  excellent  weapon  ; 
so  I  told  him  he  might  load  his  gun,  but  made  him  signs 
that  il  we  saw  buff'alo  or  antelope,  he  must  shoot  belter. 
He  took  up  the  sign  language  directly,  grinned,  and,  wiih 
a  look  of  contempt  on  his  gun,  (which  was  a  bran-new 
thirty-shilling  exportation  from  Birmingham,)  showed  me 
that  he  would  not  miss  a  buffalo  if  he  had  his  bow  and 
arrows.  He  now  proceeded  to  load,  an  operation  which 
I  watched  with  no  little  amusement,  w^ondering  where 
his  ammunition  was  to  come  from,  inasmuch  as  he  was 
perfectly  naked,  except  the  waist-belt,  which  supported, 
his  breech  cloth,  and  a  pair  of  moccasins.  However,  it 
did  appear  that  a  small  hollowed  point  of  horn,  stopped 
witi)  a  wooden  plug,  was  in  the  said  bell  (as,  indeed,  were 
his  butcher-knife,  flint,  and  touchwood),  from  which  he 
put  in  a  charge  of  powder,  which  he  rammed  down  with 
some  shreds  of  a  reed,  or  inner  bark  ;  then  he  took  from 
his  mouth  a  half-chewed  bullet,*  and,  wrapping  it  in  the 
same  stutT,  rammed  it  down  also. 

*  This  method  of  making  bullets  is  very  common  among  the  Indians 
who  use  guns.  They  will  hunt  all  day  with  a  piece  of  lead  in  their 
mouth,  which  they  thus  chew  into  form.  Another  object  is  hereby  at- 
tained ;  if  no  water  can  be  obtained,  a  piece  of  lead  in  the  mouth  excites 


LOSE    MY    PARTY.  313 

The  evening  was  drawing  on,  and  the  sky  was  dusk 
and  gloomy ;  so  that,  although  the  sun  had  not  set,  it 
was  impossible  to  tell  in  what  quarter  of  the  heaven  he 
might  be.  The  Indian  made  signs  that  it  was  time  to 
go  to  the  lodges  to  eat  and  sleep.  I  now  became  aware, 
for  the  first  time,  that  I  was  completely  lost  in  my  reck- 
onings, and  had  not  the  most  remote  idea  in  what  direc- 
tion to  look  for  my  party  ;  for  I  had  turned  and  wound 
about,  and  crept  and  run  so  much  in  pursuit  of  the  ante- 
lopes, that  I  no  longer  knew  north  from  south.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  my  jacket  was  left  with  my  parly, 
and  in  it  was  my  compass  ;  while  the  dull  heavy  sky 
above  promised  no  assistance  from  sun,  moon,  or  star. 
I  did  not  like  to  expose  my  helpless  condition  to  my 
companion,  but,  determining  to  extract  from  him  all  the 
information  possible,  asked  him,  by  signs,  what  time  of 
day  he  tliought  it  might  be  ?  He  answered,  in  the  same 
manner,  about  four  or  five  o'clock.*  My  object  was  not 
to  know  the  hourj  which  was  not  of  the  least  importance, 
but  to  ascertain  thus  indirectly  tne  exact  bearings  of 
east  and  west.  Having  done  this,  and  compared,  as  ra- 
pidly as  I  could,  several  of  the  most  remarkable  knobs 
or  heights  to  serve  as  landmarks,  I  asked  him  where  his 
lodges  were  ?  To  my  great  satisfaction,  he  pointed  near- 
ly east :  I  said  I  would  go  there,  and  eat. 

We  proceeded  accordingly,  side  by  side.  I  kept  a 
sharp  eye  upon  this  young  Indian,  who  was  a  sly,  ma- 
licious-looking chap,  and  resolved  various  plans  for 
finding  my  own  party.  I  hoped,  however,  that  the 
Indians  at  the  small  camp  to  which  he  belonged  might, 


the  saliva,  and  relieves  the  pains  of  thirst.  I  have  more  than  once  used 
one  of  my  own  rifle-balls  for  this  purpose,  and  have  experienced  much 
relief  from  so  doing. 

*  In  expressing  to  one  who  cannot  speak  his  language  the  hour  of  the 
day,  an  Indian  bends  the  thumb  and  fore-finger  of  the  right  hand,  so  as 
to  make  a  kind  of  crescent ;  begins  by  directing  them  to  the  east ;  then 
traces  with  them  the  sun's  path,  giving  slight  jerks  to  indicate  the  divi- 
sion of  hours,  tdl  he  comes  to  a  pause  at  the  meridian.  He  then  pro- 
ceeds, in  like  m,anner,  till  his  fingers  point  to  the  western  horizon  : 
on  this  occasion  four  or  five  jerking*  and  successive  movements  of  the 
hand  towards  the  west,  after  making  the  noon-pause,  indicated  the  hour 
which  I  have  mentioned  in  the  text. 

Vol.  I.— Dd 


314  INDIAN  CAMP. 

perchance,  throw  some  light  upon  the  subject;  for  I  was 
sure  that  they  would  be  camped  by  a  stream,  and  if  our 
party  had  crossed  it,  their  trail  would  not  have  been 
unobserved.  At  all  events,  it  appeared  more  prudent  to 
go  and  secure  a  supper,  than  to  ramble  all  night  about 
this  waste,  without  food,  water,  fire,  or  jacket. 

We  walked  on  rapidly  for  two  hours,  when  we  came 
lo  a  soft  bank  of  grass,  and  my  companion  proposed  that 
we  should  sit  down  and  rest,  to  which  I  acceded.  After 
a  short  time,  we  resumed  our  course ;  and,  ere  long, 
arrived  in  sight  of  the  small  encampment,  by  the  side  of 
a  large  stream.  Here  I  left  my  companion,  and  deter- 
mined to  seek  the  principal  lodge  in  the  party,  which  my 
Pawnee  experience  enabled  me  at  once  to  recognize  by 
the  shield  and  badge  raised  on  the  three  poles  before  it. 
The  children  and  dogs  assailed  me,  as  usual ;  but  I  pass- 
ed on,  and  stopped  opposite  to  the  entrance  of  the  lodge, 
where  I  gave  ihe  usual  salutation,  and  remained  only  a 
moment  standing,  when  the  Indian  made  me  a  sign  to 
come  and  sit  down  by  him,  which  I  obeyed  in  silence.  I 
was  very  hungry,  and  saw  with  pleasure  that  my  host 
was  tolerably  fat,  and  that  neither  of  his  squaws  was  very 
meagre  in  appearance.  All  this  augured  well  for  their 
kitchen  discipline  ;  but,  in  conformity  with  their  habits,  I 
made  no  sign  of  wanting  food.  The  man  gave  me  a 
pipe,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  a  fine  fat  rib,  hot  from  the 
fire,  was  placed  before  me.  On  this  occasion  my  appe- 
tite must  have  done  itself  justice,  for  I  picked  the  bone 
as  clean  as  it  could  have  been  made  by  a  prairie  wolf. 
I^lhink  these  people  had  been  with  me  in  the  great  camp, 
but,  not  belonging  to  the  band  or  quarter  where  I  had 
lodged,  they  had  only  seen  me  at  a  distance  ;  although 
they  knew  that  I  had  been  with  old  Sa-ni-tsa-rish,  for  I 
heard  them  say  so.  The  squaws  were  very  good- 
humoured  and  curious  :  they  seemed  much  puzzled  at 
my  dress,  for  it  was  now  late  in  the  evening,  and  rather 
cold.  I  had  only  my  blue  cotton  shirt :  they  felt  it,  then 
touched  the  skin  of  my  throat,  uttering  a  kind  of  "ugh" 
of  astonishment  at  its  being  so  white  and  thin,  in  com- 
parison to  their  own  dark  and  coarse  cuticle.  They 
asked  me  if  I  had  not  a  horse,  a  blanket,  or  a  buffalo- 


UNPLEASANT  PREDICAMENT.  315 

robe  ?  I  said  I  had  all  of  them,  bat  they  were  waiting 
for  me  in  the  prairie.  Finding  the  Indians  in  this  lodge 
very  good-natured  and  communicative,  I  began  to  prose- 
cute my  investigations  respecting  my  party  ;  but  they 
knew  nothing  of  them,  neither  had  their  trail  been  seen. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Unpleasant  Predicanoent.—  Set  forth  in  Search  of  my  Party. — Night 
Wanderings. — Rejoin  my  Friends. — Journey  resumed.  —  Evening 
Camp. — Prairie  Wolves. — Scotch  Servant. — The  American  Lad. — 
Conversation  with  the  Guide. — Enormous  Rattlesnake. — Indian  Ma- 
nosuvre. — Danger  from  Snakes. — An  Antelope  shot. — A  Bath. — Our 
Feast.-  Meeting  with  Pawnee  Hunters. — Their  Conference  with  our 
Guides. — Consuitation  with  my  Companions.  —  Desertion  of  the 
Guides. — Difficulties  of  our  Situation. — Commencement  of  my  Office 
as  Guide. 

I  NOW  found  myself  in  a  very  unpleasant  predicament. 
My  life,  indeed,  was  not  in  much  danger,  because  I  might, 
probably,  have  been  permitted  to  accompany  these  In- 
dians to  the  Pawnee  villages  on  the  Platte,  where  I  might 
Izave  waited  until  some  trading  party  should  go  down  the 
Missouri ;  but  my  condition  would  not,  in  this  case,  be 
very  enviable.  With  neither  horse,  clothes,  nor  blanket, 
and  with  a  very  small  stock  of  ammunition,  I  was  cer- 
tainly not  well  equipped  for  a  long  journey  and  residence 
with  the  Pawnees  ;    neither  did  I  think  that  my  own 

party  could  get  on  very  well  without  me,  as  V was 

crippled,  and  none  of  them  were  hunters.  So  I  deter- 
mined to  sally  forth,  and  seek  them  at  all  risks. 

Fortunately,  the  clouds  cleared  away  and  the  stars 
shone  brightly ;  I  easily  found  the  polar-star,  and  com- 
pared it  with  the  fronting  of  the  lodge,  which  I  found 
correct  as  usual,  due  east.  I  then  examined  the  course 
of  the  stream,  and,  in  short,  took  all  my  bearings,  both 
on  earth  and  in  the  sky,  as  deliberately  and  as  carefully 
as  I  could.  The  Indian  thought  I  was  making  "  great 
medicine ;"  and  when  I  pointed  to  the  polar-star,  he 
seemed  evidently  to  know  it,  and  said  that  the  "  buffalo 
were  new  going  that  way;"  but  he  could  not  make  out 
what  I  had  to  do  with  it. 


31&  NIGHT  WANDERINGS. 

As  soon  as  I  gave  him  to  understand  that  I  was  going 
to  set  off  on  a  night  journey,  he  said,  "  Ugh  !" — it  is  not 
good  !"  and  made  me  signs  to  wrap  myself  in  one  of  his 
robes  and  sleep.  He  asked  "  if  I  was  tired.'"  I  told 
him,  "  No  ;  I  am  strong."  He  inquired  "  where  I  was 
going."  I  answered  by  signs  that,  *'  before  morning,  I 
should  rejoin  my  party  and  get  my  horses."  Indeed,  I 
affected  naore  confidence  in  this  matter  than  I  felt.  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  walk  all  night,  and  all  the  following 
morning,  in  search  of  my  party ;  and  if  I  could  not  find 
them,  to  come  back  to  this  camping-place,  and  follow  the 
trail  of  these  Indians,  in  order  to  reach  them,  as  I  might 
otherwise  run  a  risk  of  perishing  with  cold  and  hunger. 
I  made  signs  that  it  was  very  far,  and  asked  if  they  would 
give  me  some  meat  to  take  with  me,  which  they  imme- 
diately did.  Of  this  I  slung  two  or  three  slices  to  my 
waist-beltj  and  started  on  my  night  expedition,  after 
thanking,  with  {he  warmest  expressions  and  gestures,  the 
inmates  of  the  lodge,  who  were,  indeed,  the  most  simple 
good-natured  Indians  whom  I  had  m.et  with.  I  wished  I 
had  something  better  than  thanks  to  give  them  ;  but  not 
being  able  to  spare  my  shirt,  I  was  obliged  to  forego  that 
satisfaction. 

As  I  started,  I  took  the  precaution  to  examine  care- 
fully the  locks  of  my  rifle,  at  which  manoeuvre  the  old 
Indian  gave  another  significant  "  Ugh  ?"  and  we  parted. 
The  night  being  fresh,  it  was  somewhat  annoying  that  I 
was  obliged  (from  the  direction  in  which  I  calculated  my 
party  to  be)  to  cross  the  stream  near  which  the  Indians 
were  encamped  ;  however,  it  did  not  wet  me  much  above 
the  knees,  and  I  knew  that  I  should  not  be  likely  to  want 
exercise  very  soon.  I  walked  as  fast  as  I  could,  and  ex- 
amined all  the  country  near  the  main  creek  without  suc- 
cess. I  tried  the  higher  ridges,  and  followed  one,  where 
the  nature  of  the  ground  made  it  probable  that  another 
creek  met  the  one  which  I  had  left.  I  lay  down  re- 
peatedly, and  put  my  ear  to  the  ground,  in  hopes  of  hear- 
ing some  sound  which  might  guide  me,  but  none  met  my 
ear,  except  the  shrill,  barking  howl  of  the  prairie  wolves  ; 
and  I  found  that,  in  that  position  I  certainly  could  hear 
the  noise  of  the  little  Indian  camp  farther  than  I  could 


J^OURNEY    RESUMED.  317 

When  I  stood  up.  I  should  think,  however,  that  the 'as- 
sistance derivable  from  it  must  be  greater  on  a  level 
plain,  than  a  hilly  district,  such  as  I  was  now  crossing. 

This  latter  cast  was  more  fortunate  ;  I  had  not  long 
begun  to  descend  the  second  ndge,  when  I  perceived  at 
a  distance  a  glimmer  of  light  and  some  smoke.  As  I 
drew  near,  I  went  carefully  and  stealthily  forward,  for 
fear  it  might  be  a  party  of  strange  Indians,  and  that  I 
might  be  discovered  by  some  of  their  scouts  :  but  I  soon 
found,  to  my  great  joy,  that  it  was  the  camp  of  my  own 
friends.  They  had  begun  to  feel  much  alarmed  at  my 
long  absence,  but  had  very  wisely  remained  by  the  place 
first  agreed  upon,  trusting  to  my  being  thus  enabled  more 
easily  to  find  them.  I  told  them  of  my  having  fallen  in, 
and  supped  with,  a  small  Pawnee  party  ;  but  I  did  not 
tell  them  how  completely  I  had  been  lost,  and  with  what 
anxious  fears  of  not  rejoining  them  I  had  been  rambling 
over  the  prairie  :  because  I  was  ashamed  of  having  acted 
with  so  little  carefulness  and  prudence. 

On  the  13th,  we  started  early,  and  travelled  about  ten 
miles,  in  a  wet,  thick  fog,  accompanied  by  a  raw  driz- 
zling rain  and  wind  from  the  north-east.  In  short,  it  was 
such  weather  as  we  often  experience  in  Britain  about  the 
end  of  February — course,  east-south-east.  At  noon,  the 
weather  improved,  and  we  camped  by  a  small  creek, 
which  we  believed  to  be  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Kanzas.  Here,  again,  we  enjoyed  an  excellent  meal  of 
buffalo  meat,  seasoned  with  a  few  flour  cakes  fried  in 
bacon.  In  the  afternoon,  we  proceeded  as  usual,  till 
dusk ;  camped  by  the  same  creek  ;  secured  our  horses. 
— lighted  our  fire — boiled  some  coffee,  and  smoked  a 
pipe.  At  this  place,  musquitoes  were  very  plentiful,  but 
we  had  become  somewhat  indifferent  to  them.  We  were 
lulled  to  rest  by  a  pack  of  prairie  wolves^  howling  on  a 
small  hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek.  These  animals 
seemed  so  bold  and  hungry,  that,  by  the  advice  of  the 
guide,  we  fastened  our  horses  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  fire  ;  and  a  loaded  rifle  was  kept  constantly  ready  to 
protect  them,  in  case  of  any  alarm  during  the  night. 

14th. — Endeavoured  to  start  at  daybreak;  but  my 
Scotch  servant  could  not  learn  to  balance  or  fasten  a  pack 


Sis  ENORMTOTIS    RATTLE-SNAKE; 

on  a  horse ;  and  his  slow  awkwardness  cost  us  repeated 
and  vexatious  delays,  as  we  were  so  frequently  obliged 
to  stop  and  repack  the  animal  of  which  he  had  charge. 
This  man  was  a  willing  and  well-conducted  servant  in 
civilized  life,  but  Nature  had  not  formed  him  for  a  prairie 
hunter.  Our  American  lad  improved  every  day  in  ac- 
tivity and  readiness,  and   his  good-humour  and  spirits 

gave  'me  much   satisfaction.      As  for  poor  V ,  he 

could  sit  on  his  horse  and  eat  his  dinner ;  but  he  still 
suffered  a  good  deal  from  his  bruises,  and  could  not  yet 
walk  :  his  arm  was  in  a  sling. 

I  found  that  one  of  our  horses  was  lame — several 
were  rather  sore  in  the  back — and  I  recommended  both 
The  attendants  to  walk  at  least  half  the  day's  journey,  as 
we  could  not  tell  what  urgent  necessity  for  a  fresh  horse 
half  an  hour  might  create.  I  went  this  morning,  on  foot, 
about  fourteen  miles  with  the  guide,  chatting  with  him 
in  broken  Pawnee,  filled  up  with  signs.  I  observed  upon 
referring  to  my  compass,  that  he  was  going  north-east  ; 
and,  upon  asking  him  the  reason,  he  pointed  to  the  east, 
and  said  that  there  was  no  water  there  for  us  to  camp 
by. 

The  country  we  were  now  crossing  was  a  succession 
of  barren  sandy  ridges.  Before  us,  at  the  distance  of 
half  a  mile,  I  remarked  a  creek ;  and,  on  asking  the 
guide  its  name,  was  told  that  it  was  called  Snake  river.* 
He  informed  us,  by  signs,  that  we  must  be  cautious,  for 
it  was  full  of  rattle-snakes.  While  I  was  walking  be- 
side him,  talking  in  this  way,  he  gave  a  sudden  yell,  so 
shrill  and  piercing,  that,  as  if  by  instinct,  I  knew  it  was 
a  warning,  and  leaped  on  one  side  as  far  as  I  could 
spring.  On  looking  for  the  cause  of  this  sudden  cry,  I 
saw,  in  the  very  spot  where  my  next  step  would  have 
placed  my  hg^  an  enormous  rattle-snake  ;  his  head  rear- 

*  In  the  Pawnee,  as  in  other  Indian  languages,  the  substantive  is 
frequently  varied  in  preference  to  using  an  adjective  ;  thus,  water  in  a 
bowl,  or  pot  for  drinking,  in  a  pond,  running  or  river  water,  and  rain 
water,  are  all  distinct  and  separate  words.  The  same  is  observable  in 
many  nouns,  as  a  female  child — a  girl  from  seven  to  eleven — a  young 
girl  (come  to  years  of  puberty) — a  young  married  woman,  and  an  old 
married  woman,  are  also  different  words  in  some  languages  ;  as  are,, 
also,  generally,  elder  and  younger  brother. 


INDIAN  MANOEUVRE.  319 

ed,  and  his  folds  coiled  below  Lim,  ready  for  a  spring. 
He  was  giving  me,  too,  all  the  warning  in  his  power ;  for 
he  was  rattling  so  clearly  and  loudly,  that  it  was  wonder- 
ful to  me  I  had  not  heard  him.  I  was  just  about  to  kill 
him,  but  the  guide  stopped  my  aim — pointed  gravely  to 
the  sky  and  to  himself,  and  indicated  to  me  that  it  was 
against  his  "  medicine."*  Accordingly,  I  desisted  ;  re- 
flecting that,  in  all  probability,  neither  I,  nor  any  other 
white  man,  would  ever  hear  his  rattle  again  ;  and  that 
killing  one,  in  a  place  which  was  crowded  by  thousands, 
could  be  of  little  use. 

After  we  had  walked  on  a  few  hundred  yards,  we  were 
about  to  descend  a  small  narrow  ravine,  full  of  broken 
heaps  of  sandstone,  overgrown  with  coarse  herbs  and 
grasses.  The  Indian  told  me  to  go  straight  on  in  that 
direction,  as  he  wished  to  remain  behind  for  a  moment. 
I  thought  that  in  such  a  rough  narrow  place,  where  In- 
dian file  was  recessarily  to  be  observed,  the  leader  of 
the  party  had  a  better  chance  of  being  bitten  by  a  snake 
than  any  of  those  who  followed  ;  and  I  moreover  thought 
that  the  same  idea  struck  my  friend  the  guide  ;  but  I  look 
no  notice  of  it  farther  than  to  tell  him  that,  being  in  no- 
hurry,  I  would  wait  for  him.  The  quiet  sly  expression 
of  his  face  did  not  alter ;  but  I  cannot  help  thinking  he 
was  aware  that  I  saw  through  his  manoeuvre.  Accord- 
ingly, he  began  to  pick  his  way  carefully  down  the  ravine. 
My  servant,  in  the  rear,  had  about  this  time  a  very  nar- 
row escape  from  another  snake.  I  thought  it  better  to 
mount  my  horse,  and  recommended  the  others  to  do  the 
same,  although  the  place  was  very  rough  and  unpleasant 
for  riding,  owing  to  the  quantity  of  loose  sandstone  and 
high  coarse  grass.  I  never  should  have  believed  it  pos- 
sible that  so  many  rattlesnakes  could  have  assembled 
together  as  I  saw  in  that  ravine.  I  think  there  must 
have  been  nearly  enough  to  fatten  a  drove  of  Missouri 
hogs.t 

*  Tliis  same  prejudice  exists  in  several  bands  of  the  Osages  and 
Delawares,  as  well  as  among  other  tribes  in  the  more  remote  regions. 

t  It  is  well  known  that,  in  the  western  states,  where  rattle-snakes  are 
still  plentiful,  the  hogs  kill  and  eat  them  ;  nor  is  their  bite  formidable 
to  their  swinish  enemy,  on  whom  its  venomous  fangs  seem  to  produce- 


320  A  BATH. 

As  soon  as  we  emerged  from  this  ravine,  I  dismounted 
and  rejoined  the  guide,  from  wliom,  ere  long,  I  heard  ihe 
well-known  "  Ugh  !"  which  accompanies  the  sudden 
presentation  of  any  new  object  to  the  eye  of  an  Indian  ; 
and,  following  the  direction  of  his  finger,  saw  two  or 
three  antelopes  browsing  on  a  hill  side  to  windward  of 
us.  As  they  had  not  yet  seen  our  party,  I  halted  it,  and 
told  them  to  lie  down,  while  I  would  try  and  stalk  one. 
After  creeping  for  some  distance,  I  came  within  about 
a  hundred  and  twenty  yards  of  one,  but  could  get  no 
nearer  from  the  nature  of  the  ground.  However,  I  took 
a  steady  aim,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  hit ;  but  the 
antelope  went  off  on  three  legs,  and,  after  a  tiresome 
pursuit,  I  found  that  they  were  still  fleeter  than  my  two. 
iSo  I  thought  I  would  try  another  fashion,  and,  selecting 
a  commanding  situation  on  a  hi^h  knoll,  sat  down  to 
watch  him  from  a  distance.  This  plan  succeeded  ;  for 
as  soon  as  he  saw  that  he  was  unpursued,  he  slackened 
his  pace,  and,  after  going  about  half  a  mile,  lay  down. 
I  could  distinctly  observe  all  his  movements  with  my 
telescope.  Having  carefully  noted  the  ground  near  him, 
to  assist  me  in  creeping  up,  and  allowed  time  for  the 
wound  to  become  stiff,  I  again  went  after  him  ;  and, 
having  succeeded  in  getting  unobserved  within  fifty  or 
sixty  yards,  another  shot  terminated  the  chase. 

The  rest  of  the  party  now  came  up,  and  the  dissection 
of  the  little  deer  did  not  occupy  much  lime.  We  carried 
him  off  to  the  banks  of  the  creek ;  and  while  the  feast 
was  preparing,  1  determined  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a 
bath  and  a  change  of  clothes,  the  latter  having  been  a 
very  rare  metamorphosis  of  late,  and  the  suit  which  1 
wore  being  full  of  the  filthy  Pawnee  body-guard,  which 
still  clung  to  all  cur  clothes  and  buffalo  robes. 

I  was  surprised  to  find  the  water  of  this  stream  so  ex- 
tremely salt;  notwithstanding  which  our  horses  drank  it 
with  such  avidity  that  we  were  afraid  of  their  injuring 
themselves,  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty  drove  them 
from  it.     The  sun  was  now  intensely  hot ;  there  was  no 

no  efToct.  It  is  owing  to  this  well-known  fact,  that  families  resident  in 
those  districts  conceive  that  hogs'  lard  must  be  a  kind  of  antidoie  to  their 
poison,  and  frequently  use  it  (I  believe  successfully)  as  a  remedy. 


CONSULTATION,  321 

shelter  from  its  rays  during  the  process  of  the  bath  or 
toilet ;  but  altogether  I  felt  it  to  be  a  great  comfort  and 
luxury,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  over  went  in  high  spirits  to 
our  camping-place,  where  the  antelope  was  already 
dressed,  and  we  commenced  our  feast. 

Ere  this  was  half  despatched,  a  number  of  buffalo 
came  rolling  and  bounding  over  the  small  hills  before  our 
our  camping-piace,  in  such  confusion  and  at  such  speed 
that  we  were  immediately  aware  of  their  being  closely 
pursued  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  two  or  three  hunters  ap- 
peared. As  soon  as  they  saw  our  parly  they  halted  to 
examine  it:  our  two  Indians  talked  together,  and  instantly 
recognized  the  new-comers  as  Pawnees.  I  was  much 
vexed  at  the  reappearance  of  thes3  fellows,  for  it  seem- 
ed as  if  we  should  never  get  rid  of  them  :  the  propinquity 
of  these  straggling  parties,  unchecked  by  any  responsible 
chief,  is  sometimes  dangerous,  and  never  desirable. 
They  made  signs  to  our  guides  to  go  and  speak  with 
them  :  a  request  with  which  they  immediately  complied. 

I  did  not  like  the  circumstance  of  these  hunters  keep- 
ing so  studiously  aloof  from  us  ;  neither  did  I  much  ap- 
prove of  the  conference  of  suspicious  duration  which 
they  held  with  our  guides.  When  the  latter  returned, 
they  were  silent  and  sulky  ;  their  countrymen  gallopped 
off,  and  were  soon  lost  in  the  distance.  I  could  easily 
perceive  that  some  very  sudden  as  well  as  strong  im- 
pression had  been  produced  by  this  talk;  and  by  ob- 
serving and  listening  to  them  as  they  whispered  together, 
while  I  pretended  to  speak  to  V ,  I  became  con- 
vinced that  they  intended  to  desert  us.  The  short  but 
significant  answers  which  I  received  to  one  or  two  care- 
less questions  which  I  put,  convinced  me  of  the  truth  of 
my  suspicions.  I  therefore  summoned  a  council  of  war, 
and    communicated    these    unpleasant    occurrences   to 

V ,  and  to  the  two  attendants.     I  told  them,  that  in 

these  circumstances,  where  our  lives  might  depend  upon 
the  decision  we  should  adopt,  I  considered  we  were  all 
equal  in  rank,  and  each  had  as  influential  a  voice  as  his 
neighbour  ;  that  they  must  be  prepared  very  soon  to  de- 
cide whether  we  should  return  to  the  Pawnee  village  with 
these  rascally  guides,  or  endeavour  to  reach  Fort  Leaven- 


322  DESERTION  OF  GUIDES. 

worth  without  them  ;  and  I  professed  my  own  wilHng- 
ness  to  adopt  either  ahernative  which  the  majority  might 
prefer.  After  a  short  consuhation,  tiiey  were  unanimous 
iu  their  decisions  against  returning  to  the  Pawnees.  The 
recollection  of  the  filth,  the  vermin,  and  other  nuisances, 
to  which  they  must  return,  besides  the  very  doubtful 
nature  of  the  reception  we  might  meet  with,  now  that 
we  had  expended  all  our  trading  articles,  and  the  terms 
of  open  dislike  on  which  we  had  parted  from  the  two 
most  powerful  chiefs — all  these  were  conclusive  argu- 
ments against  the  expediency  of  revisiting  the  Pawnees  ; 
while  the  other  alternative  presented,  it  is  true,  great 
risks  and  difficulties,  but  of  a  vague  and  unascertained 
nature. 

As  soon  as  this  question  was  decided,  I  told  them  that 
one  of  our  party  must  take  upon  himself  the  office  and 
the  whole  responsibilities  of  a  guide,  because,  if  every 
one's  opinion  was  taken  as  to  routes,  directions,  and 
bearings,  we  should  never  reach  the  settlements ;  and  1 
asked  if  any  of  them  wished  to  undertake  the  task. 
They  all  said  they  wished  me  to  undertake  it  myself.  I 
agreed  to  do  so,  upon  the  repeated  condition  that  I  was 
to  conduct  them  as  I  pleased  and  whither  I  pleased  ;  to 
choose  the  length  and  the  line  of  march  ;  and  that  there 
was  to  be  neither  dispute  nor  contradiction  as  long  as  I 
retained  the  office. 

Having  settled  these  preliminaries,  in  order  to  be  pre- 
pared for  what  I  expected,  I  desired  the  Indian,  as  usual, 
to  catch  one  of  the  horses,  as  it  was  time  to  pursue  our 
march.  He  answered  shortly,  sulkily,  and  quite  dis- 
tinctly, that  he  would  not ;  and  upon  my  making  the  sign 
that  I  wished  him  to  explain  himself,  he  said  he  would 
not  go  any  farther — that  he  and  his  companion  would  go 
back  to  their  people — that  it  was  bad  to  proceed,  and 
ihey  would  not  do  it.  J  confess  I  felt  very  much  tempted 
lo  tie  these  two  rascals  up,  and  give  them  a  good  flogging 
(for  our  party  was  strong  enough  to  do  it) ;  but  I  thought 
it  more  prudent  to  let  them  alone ;  for  as  soon  as  they 
could  get  away  and  collect  a  band  of  Pawnees,  they 
would  certainly  have  followed  our  trail  to  take  revenge. 

I   never  couhl    thoroughly    understand   the  motives 


DIFFICULT  SITUATION.  323 

which  actuated  ihem  on  this  occasion  :  that  their  resohj- 
lion  was  occasioned  by  their  talk  with  the  other  Indians 
was  quite  evident ;  but  I  know  not  whether  they  had 
been  told  that  the  great  chief  was  angry  with  them  for 
guiding  us,  and  would  punish  them  if  they  went  on ;  or 
that  hostile  war-parties  were  out  in  the  country  which 
we  were  about  to  traverse ;  or  that,  by  refusing  to  pro- 
ceed, they  would  place  us  in  so  awkward  and  helpless  a 
predicament  that  we  should  double  their  promised  re- 
ward, and  agree  to  any  terms  which  they  might  propose. 
Whichever  of  these  reasons  influenced  their  conduct^ 
they  certainly  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  cool  in- 
difference with  which  V and  I  received  the  an- 
nouncement of  their  intentions.  We  desired  our  white 
attendants  to  catch  and  pack  the  horses.  I  then  turned 
to  the  two  Indians  ;  and,  with  the  most  contemptuous 
expression  of  countenance  and  gesture  that  I  could  com- 
mand, told  them  "  that  they  were  bad  men,  liars,  and 
squaws,  and  they  must  immediately  get  up  and  leave  my 
camp."  As  they  were  so  unprepared  for  this  turn  of 
affairs,  they  hesitated  a  moment,  and  I  repeated  to  them 
more  loudly  the  order  to  "go  and  tell  Sa-ni-tsa-rish  that 
they  were  liars  and  squaws. '  They  muttered  something 
to  each  other,  inaudible  to  me,  and  slunk  off,  leaving  us 
seated  with  great  dignity  and  apparent  ease. 

As  soon  as  they  were  out  sight,  I  confess  that  the 
perils  and  difficulties  of  our  situation  pressed  themselves 
most  forcibly  on  my  mind,  and  the  responsibility  that  I 
had  incurred  seemed  heavy  and  serious  indeed.  I  re- 
membered that  I  had  undertaken  to  guide  our  little  party 
through  six  or  seven  hundred  miles  of  barren  unknown 
wilderness,  where  I  knew  not  whether  we  might  find 
water  for  ourselves  and  horses — where  we  were  liable, 
at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night,  to  be  fallen  upon  by  some 
roving  band  of  strange  Indians,  and  where,  if  we  lost 
any  time  by  deviating  from  our  right  course,  our  pro-^ 
visions  might  fail,  and  we  might  find  nothing  wherewith 
the  rifle  could  supply  their  place.  All  these  reflections 
suggested  themselves  in  rapid  succession  to  my  mind, 
but  I  felt  how  vitally  necessary  were  energy  and  decision 


324  DIFFICULT  SITUATION. 

of  action.  The  very  feeling  of  the  responsibility  of  my 
charge  gave  me  excitement,  and  I  felt  a  strong  and 
buoyant  confidence  that,  unless  some  unfortunate  acci- 
dent occurred,  I  could  conduct  the  party  without  any 
great  deviation  to  the  fort :  so,  with  my  telescope,  com- 
pass, and  rifle  ready  for  use,  I  rode  on  a  hundred  yards 
ahead,  and  began  my  career  as  guide. 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


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